Impacts of the 1997-98 El Niño Event in Vietnam

Huu Ninh Nguyen, Minh Hoang, Viet Tran, Quang Tran and Quang Luong (2000). Impacts of the 1997-98 El Niño Event in Vietnam. Reducing the Impact of Environmental Emergencies through Early Warning and Preparedness in the Case of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). United Nations University.

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  • Sub-type Technical report
    Author Huu Ninh Nguyen
    Minh Hoang
    Viet Tran
    Quang Tran
    Quang Luong
    Editor Huu Ninh Nguyen
    Title Impacts of the 1997-98 El Niño Event in Vietnam
    Series Title Reducing the Impact of Environmental Emergencies through Early Warning and Preparedness in the Case of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
    Publication Date 2000
    Place of Publication Hanoi
    Publisher United Nations University
    Pages 83
    Language eng
    Abstract Because of its geographical setting, Vietnam has a long history of coping with weather- and climate-related hazards such as storms, floods and droughts. As a result, it has developed a comprehensive system of disaster management, which, although constrained by limited resources and other factors, provides a high level of protection and continues to evolve. Though scientific research has been conducted on the impact of El Niño on Vietnam over the past two decades, it is only since the 1997-98 El Niño event that serious scientific interest in the subject has developed. It is now known that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon has a substantial effect on the characteristics (frequency, intensity) of certain natural hazards in Vietnam. El Niño is recognized as a factor that should be considered in disaster management by the Vietnamese Government. This recognition resulted largely from the El Niño predictions received by the government in early 1997 and from El Niño’s actual impacts in Vietnam later that year. The Prime Minister's Office then issued instructions to relevant authorities to prepare a report on the impacts in Vietnam of El Niño and La Niña. While this acted to raise official awareness of the issue, the official response to the 1997-98 El Niño event was through the existing disaster management system. In 1999-2000, the government organized an independent study on the phenomenon with the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (IMH)1 as the executive agency. The Hydro-Meteorology Service of Vietnam (HMS) has commissioned sectoral studies and Vietnam has proposed national studies to various international research programs. Public awareness of El Niño is high as a result of the publicity given to the 1997-98 event by the mass media. The first popular ENSO document was released by the Hydro-Meteorology Service and printed by the Science and Technology Publishing House in the year 2000 as a result of the 1997- 98 event. The broad effect of El Niño on the climate of Vietnam is established but the detailed impacts require more research. In general terms, the main effects on the seasonal climate of Vietnam are that, during El Niño years, cloud cover is decreased and rainfall levels are lower; and temperatures increase as do radiation and evaporation. The impact is generally most evident during the winter half-year, with effects usually developing towards the fall of the year when the El Niño warming of the equatorial Pacific becomes evident. Though affecting the whole country, the effects are clearest in the south of Vietnam and parts of the central region. The frequency and other characteristics of the tropical cyclones that make landfall on the Vietnamese coast are strongly affected by El Niño. Generally, fewer but more intense storms are experienced during El Niño years and frequencies are highest during the earlier part of the cyclone season. There is a suggestion that storms that form or develop close to the Vietnamese coast may be more frequent in El Niño years; these storms are difficult to predict and, therefore, to respond to effectively.
    UNBIS Thesaurus CLIMATE
    WATER RESOURCES
    NATURAL DISASTERS
    METEOROLOGY
    EL NINO CURRENT
    VIET NAM
    Copyright Holder United Nations University
    Copyright Year 2000
    Copyright type All rights reserved
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    Created: Tue, 09 Nov 2021, 10:55:26 JST