The climate of Central America strongly affects social and economic conditions in the region through its impacts on agriculture, tourism, and human health. The impacts of the 1997-98 El Ni�o in Central America provide examples of what future climate warming may bring. During that year, forest fires raged out of control and high sea surface temperatures �bleached� corals in adjacent seas. Future changes in the frequency of extreme events such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts may damage important export crops such as bananas, threaten human settlements on unstable hillsides, and facilitate the outbreak of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
Fingerprints
10. Florida -- June heat wave, 1998. Melbourne endured 24 days above 95�F (35�C); highttime temperatures in Tampa remained above 80�F (26.6�C) for 12 days.
40. Bermuda -- Dying mangroves. Rising sea level is leading to saltwater inundation of coastal mangrove forests.
132. Venezuela - Disappearing glaciers. Of six glaciers in the Venezuelan Andes in 1972, only 2 remain, and scientists predict that these will be gone within the next 10 years. Glaciers in the mountains of Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru show similar rapid rates of retreat. Temperature records in other regions of the Andes show a significant warming of about 0.6� F (0.33�C) per decade since the mid-1970s.
Harbingers
15. Andes Mountains, Columbia -- Disease-carrying mosquitoes spreading. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that can carry dengue and yellow fever viruses were previously limited to 3,300 feet (1,006 m) but recently appeared at 7,200 feet (2,195 m).
16. Mexico --Dengue fever spreads to higher elevations. Dengue fever has spread above its former elevation limit of 3,300 feet (1,006 m) and has appeared at 5,600 feet (1,707 m).
19. Central America -- Dengue fever spreads to higher elevations. Dengue fever is spreading above its former limit of 3,300 feet (1,006 m) and has been reported above 4,000 feet (1,219 m).
36. Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica -- Disappearing frogs and toads. A reduction in dry-season mists due to warmer Pacific ocean temperatures has been linked to disappearances of 20 species of frogs and toads, upward shifts in the ranges of mountain birds, and declines in lizard population.
46. Pacific Ocean, Mexico -- Coral reef bleaching.
47. Pacific Ocean, Panama -- Coral reef bleaching.
53. Caribbean -- Coral reef bleaching.
54. Florida Keys and Bahamas -- Coral reef bleaching.
55. Bermuda -- Coral reef bleaching.
80. Santa Barbara, California -- Wettest month on record, 1998. 21.74 inches (55.22 cm) of rain fell in February, the most rain in a month since record keeping began.
82. Florida -- Worst wildfires in 50 years, 1998. Fires burned 485,000 acres (196,272 hectares) and destroyed more than 300 homes and structures.
85. Mexico -- Worst fires season ever, 1998. 1.25 milion acres (505,857 hectares) burned during a severe drought. Smoke reaching Texas triggered a statewide health alert.
86. Nicaragua -- 2.2 million acres burned, 1998. Over 15,000 fires burned in 1998, and the blazing acreage included protected lands in the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve.
146. Venezuela - Heaviest rainfall in 100 years, December 1999. The heaviest rainfall in 100 years caused massive landslides and flooding that killed approximately 30,000 people. Total December rainfall in Maiquetia, near Caracas, was almost 4 feet (1.2 m), more than 5 times the previous December record. The high death toll was attributed to population growth in vulnerable areas and forest clearing on steep hill slopes.
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