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| 2017 coastal El Niño | |
|---|---|
| Name | 2017 coastal El Niño |
| Date | 2017 |
| Location | Pacific coast of South America |
| Type | Climate anomaly |
2017 coastal El Niño was a localized climate anomaly that produced unusually warm sea surface temperatures and heavy rainfall along the Pacific coasts of Peru, Ecuador, and northern Chile in 2017. It produced patterns distinct from canonical El Niño–Southern Oscillation events, causing floods, landslides, and fisheries disruptions that affected cities such as Lima, Guayaquil, and Trujillo. The event drew attention from international institutions including the World Meteorological Organization, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and United Nations agencies because of its rapid onset and concentrated impacts.
The phenomenon is framed within the context of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a coupled ocean–atmosphere pattern documented since the Humboldt Current observations and analyzed in seminal studies by researchers at institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and Met Office. Definitions distinguish canonical El Niño episodes like those in 1982–83 El Niño, 1997–98 El Niño, and 2015–16 El Niño from coastal or regional warm events observed in Peru and Ecuador in 2017. Terminology used by agencies such as the Peruvian National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (SENAMHI), Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Ecuador (INAMHI), and Servicio Meteorológico Nacional de Chile characterized the 2017 event as a localized coastal warming with strong convective anomalies off the coasts of Tumbes Region, Piura Region, and Manabí Province.
The 2017 coastal event began with early austral autumn warming off northern Peru and southern Ecuador coasts, observed by platforms run by ARGO, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and the Institute of Oceanography of Peru (IMARPE). Wind anomalies associated with weakened trade winds and episodic westerly wind bursts were recorded by buoys maintained by Global Drifter Program, TAO/TRITON, and satellite scatterometers from NASA and European Space Agency. Convective outbreaks produced mesoscale precipitation clusters tracked by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and Global Precipitation Measurement mission, yielding extreme rainfall indices over catchments feeding reservoirs near Chachapoyas, Chiclayo, and Cajamarca. Atmospheric indices such as the Southern Oscillation Index and equatorial sea surface temperature gradients showed patterns that diverged from canonical events documented by the Climatic Research Unit and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Ocean drivers included anomalous subsurface heat content derived from equatorial Kelvin and Rossby waves identified in analyses by University of Washington and NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Coastal upwelling suppression, linked to altered coastal wind stress near the Peruvian Current and Humboldt system, reduced nitrate availability impacting regions studied by International Union for Conservation of Nature researchers. Atmospheric drivers encompassed shifts in the Walker circulation and transient interactions with the Madden–Julian Oscillation episodes monitored by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, as well as remote teleconnections from the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Tropical North Atlantic anomalies described in publications from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and French Research Institute for Development (IRD).
The anomaly produced intense precipitation events causing floods and landslides across municipalities governed by regional authorities in Piura Region, La Libertad Region, and Esmeraldas Province. Infrastructure damage included bridges on the Pan-American Highway and collapse of sections of municipal water systems in Lima Metropolitan Area and Manta. Agricultural losses affected export-oriented commodities such as sugarcane plantations near Chancay and banana plantations in Guayas Province. Public health agencies such as Pan American Health Organization documented outbreaks of waterborne diseases in urban districts and evacuation operations coordinated with Peruvian National Civil Defense System and Ecuadorian Red Cross.
Economic assessments by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and regional development banks estimated fiscal costs from reconstruction, declines in fisheries landings in artisanal ports like Paita and Puerto López, and disruption to supply chains involving Compañía Minera Antamina-linked transport corridors. Ecological consequences included coral stress along the Galápagos Islands and kelp forest impacts near Punta Sal documented by Charles Darwin Foundation and National Geographic Society expeditions. Vulnerable populations in informal settlements in Guayaquil and flood-prone districts in Lima Province experienced displacement, prompting humanitarian responses by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Operational detection used multi-model ensembles from centers such as European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, and the Japan Meteorological Agency, augmented by regional bulletins from SENAMHI and INAMHI. Improvements in in situ observing systems like ARGO floats, coastal tide gauges maintained by Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and satellite records from MODIS and Altimeter missions enabled near-real-time tracking. Post-event analyses engaged academic consortia from Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, National Polytechnic School (Ecuador), and University of Chile to refine indices distinguishing coastal events from basin-wide El Niño.
Responses involved disaster risk management frameworks used by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, national ministries such as the Ministry of Environment (Peru), and municipal governments in Trujillo and Piura. Lessons emphasized integrating climate services from Global Framework for Climate Services, investing in resilient infrastructure supported by Inter-American Development Bank, and strengthening fisheries policies influenced by Food and Agriculture Organization guidance. Scientific lessons recommended by panels including members from American Meteorological Society and World Bank projects called for sustained observations, improved high-resolution coupled models from NOAA GFDL and ECMWF, and enhanced social vulnerability mapping led by United Nations Development Programme.
Category:Climate events