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Hundreds of birds and dolphins have been washing up dead along thePeru coast, and this has government officials looking for causes. The mass deaths have taken place against the backdrop of oceanicwarming in the region. At least 1,200 birds, mostly pelicans, have been found dead inrecent weeks along a stretch of Pacific coast in northern Peru, theReuters website said on Sunday. Recent months have also seen an estimated 800 dolphins die in thesame area, Reuters said. Officials have recommended that people keep away from the beaches. According to the agricultural ministry, preliminary tests on somedead pelicans indicate malnourishment may be a factor. "We're starting from the hypothesis that it's because thebirds are young and unable to find enough food for themselves, andalso because the sea temperature has risen and anchovies have movedelsewhere," Reuters quoted Deputy Agriculture Minister JuanRheineck as saying. A mass die off of pelicans happened along the northern Peru coastin 1997 at a time when the "El Nino" warming of theequatorial Pacific Ocean was under way. This mass death wasattributed to the lack of anchovies, a key link in the region'smarine food chain. Although "El Nino" has not happened officially sinceearly 2010, significant changes to sea-surface temperatures havebeen happening since the start of 2012. After months of "La Nina", El Nino's opposite, theequatorial Pacific Ocean has returned to "neutral"status, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) website said onMonday. The CPC report also cited current above-average sea-surfacetemperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which borders Peru andnorthern South America. A NOAA analysis of sea-surface temperatures, posted on May 3,showed readings about 2 to 6 degrees F above normal off thenorthern half of Peru, along with Ecuador and the Galapagos,Colombia and Panama. NOAA/CPC statistical forecasts have called for "neutral"status through the Northern Hemisphere summer followed by nearlyequal odds of "El Nino" versus neutral conditions duringthe fall and winter. Long-range forecasters at AccuWeather.com expect a shift to El Ninostatus by the end of summer. From AccuWeather.com (find the original story here ); reprinted with permission. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China IPhone 4 OEM Parts , Blackberry Repairing, and more. For more , please visit IPhone 4S Spare Parts today!
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