Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 10 November 2017

Here comes La Nina, El Nino's flip side, but it will be weak

By SETH BORENSTEIN cember, January and Feb- generally goes down in La
AP Science Writer ruary in La Nina years. Nina years, according to
WASHINGTON (AP) — La Last year's La Nina was un- research by McCarl.
Nina, the cool flip side to usually brief, forming in No- The last major La Nina sev-
El Nino, has returned, fore- vember and gone by Feb- eral years ago caused ma-
casters said Thursday. ruary. This one should hang jor crop damage and Tex-
The National Oceanic and around through at least as suffered a devastating
Atmospheric Administra- March. drought, McCall said.
tion said a weak La Nina While it may last a bit lon- On average, La Nina years
has formed and is expect- ger than last year's La Nina, hurt U.S. and China gross
ed to stick around for sev- it should be just as weak, domestic product about
eral months. said Mike Halpert, deputy 0.3 percentage points, but
La Nina is a natural cooling director of NOAA's Climate lead to growth in India,
of parts of the Pacific that Prediction Center. New Zealand and South Af-
alters weather patterns Texas A&M University agri- rica, according to Kamiar
around the globe. This March 25, 2011, file photo shows dry cracked mud along cultural economist Bruce Mohaddes, a University of
La Nina typically brings the banks of the Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park in Texas McCarl said La Nina years Cambridge economist.
drier conditions to the U.S. during one of the strongest La Nina years on record. are often bad for Texas and Because La Nina shifts
South and wetter weather Associated Press the surrounding region. storm tracks, it often brings
to the Pacific Northwest donesia, the Philippines, ca and South Africa often U.S. production of most more snow in the Ohio and
and western Canada. In- northeastern South Ameri- see more rain during De- crops — except corn — Tennessee Valleys.q

NASA seeks nickname for tiny, icy

world on edge of solar system

By MARCIA DUNN veyed Pluto. MU69 is 4 billion miles (6.5
AP Aerospace Writer New Horizons whipped past billion kilometers) away and
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Pluto two years ago. Now may actually be two ob-
(AP) — Heads up, armchair it's headed for 2014 MU69 jects, either stuck together
travelers. — gobbledygook to even or orbiting one another. If
NASA is seeking a nick- the most die-hard scientists. so, two nicknames would
name for a tiny, icy world To lighten the mood as New be needed. The nicknames
on the edge of the solar Horizons aims for a 2019 will be temporary. NASA
system that's the next des- flyby, the research team is said Monday that a formal
This illustration provided by NASA shows the New Horizons tination for New Horizons, holding a naming contest . name will come after the
spacecraft.
Associated Press the spacecraft that sur- The deadline is Dec. 1. flyby.q

'Dark Sky' advocates gather in the bright lights of Boston

BOSTON (AP) — Advo- erations." ible for many residents liv- mer President Bill Clinton makers to adopt lighting
cates for keeping the night Amanda Gormley, the or- ing between Boston and are among the keynote technology that reduces
skies dark are gathering in ganization's spokeswom- Washington D.C. — a re- speakers at that gather- light pollution, lowers ener-
one of the most light-pol- an, says it picked Boston gion that also includes ing, which bills itself as the gy consumption and saves
luted cities in the country: for the three-day gather- New York City, Philadel- world's largest conference communities money.
Boston. ing because some of its phia and Baltimore. on environmentally friend- Among the local examples
The International Dark-Sky most dedicated and ac- Gormley noted the dark ly construction. conference attendees will
Association is holding its tive chapters are based skies meeting comes on Gormley says the dark skies have a chance to visit as
annual meeting starting on the East Coast. the heels of another, conference will touch on part of a guided tour is Sa-
Friday at a hotel in Boston's The densely populated re- larger gathering in New similar themes as Green- lem, Massachusetts.
affluent Back Bay neigh- gion also happens to be England's largest city this build. The coastal city, where
borhood. where the country's worst week: the Greenbuild In- Speakers will focus on how the infamous Colonial-era
The Tucson, Arizona-based light pollution is found. ternational Conference policy and technology witch trials took place, re-
organization was founded A study published last year and Expo that opens can be used to preserve cently installed LED street-
in 1988, and its mission is to in the scientific journal Sci- Wednesday. the night skies, including lights and took other steps
"protect the night skies for ence Advances found U.S. astrophysicist Neil ways advocates have to become more environ-
present and future gen- that the Milky Way isn't vis- deGrasse Tyson and for- convinced local policy- mentally friendly.q