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El Niņo Causes Harm to Wildlife in Pacific Islands
The Galapagos Islands lie in the path of El Niņo currents in the eastern Pacific. The
1982-83 El Niņo had profound effects on the wildlife of the island, and hence on the
islands' tourist industry. As the warm El Niņo currents reduced plankton productivity,
many marine creatures starved, as did the land animals and birds which fed on them. A
marine biologist stationed on the Galapagos commented, "Stories of marine iguanas
dying at visitors' feet, of fewer or no sea birds along park trails, and starving fur
seals circulated in the travel business. The problem was, the stories were true."
Nine times as much rain fell as normal. The normally arid Galapagos Islands were
transformed into lush tropical and were often interrupted by rushing rivers. The floor of
several volcanic craters became giant cisterns of fresh water.
Waved albatrosses, which breed almost exclusively on the Galapagos islands, failed to
hatch any eggs in 1983. Rain had encouraged a thick coast of vegetation to cover their
normal nesting grounds, and their fish diet was in short supply. Fortunately one good
reproductive year can make up for disastrous years like 1983.
The same is not true of seals and sea lions. During 1983, food shortages resulted in the
death of almost all seals and sea lions under five years old, and of about 30% of the
adult sea population.
Blue-footed booby birds also apparently vanished from the Galapagos, although once the sea
temperatures began to fall, some returned to their previous haunts.
Food shortages also affected the marine iguanas that normally feed on leafy algae along
the inter-tidal zones. During the EL Niņo these algae were replaced by a different, less
nutritious type of algae. Many iguanas starved and nearly 90% of the 1982 iguana
hatchlings died.
On Christmas Island in Pacific, the effects on wildlife were just as dramatic. In November
1982, the normal population of several million sea birds had all but vanished, leaving
nestling to starve. Unusually sea temperatures and currents had severely reduced the stock
of fish on which the birds' survival depends.
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