Galapagos Weather
Oceanic currents and trade winds determine the weather of the Galapagos. There are basically just two seasons here: The dry season and the hot season, which is also the wet season. The islands are classified as subtropical even though you might assume they would be tropical due to their location right on the equator. The northern most islands are almost tropical, because they are located just a little further away from the cold water more to the south. The Humboldt Current, which swings near the southern ielans of the Galapagos, brings colder water to the islands, thus creating the subtropical conditions.
Ocean Currents
In fact, there are many ocean currents that converge on the Galapagos Islands. This is rather unusual in the world. Ther Peruvian Coastal Current and the Peruvian Oceanic Current are cold ocean currents, and healp to create the sub-tropical conditions on the Galapagos Islands. The Cromwell Current is also a cold-water current, coming from the western Pacific ocean, just under the equator. It is even colder than the Peruvian currents mentioned above. It surfaces near the Fernandina and Isabela islands and then fades away near the center of the archipelago. The South Equatorial Current also adds to the convergence of currents in this area. One famous current is the Panama flow of warm water current which you may know as El Niño. It brings warm tropical waters to the subtropical conditions of the Galapagos.
Trade Winds
The trade winds also converge on the Galapagos Islands. Here we have the southeast trade winds and the northeast trade winds meeting in what is called the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
The Dry Season: Garua Season
From May to December the temperatures in the Galapagos are cooler and there is less rain. This is called the Garua Season, and it is typical of a subtropic environment. Colder waters are arriving from the antarctic area, and there are misty morning all across the islands, which is spectacularly beautiful. The mist contains a type of very fine rain which is not like most rain- so fine it has a special name, garua, which gives its name to the season. The Humboldt Current is closer at this time, bringing colder waters. The trade winds are very strong at this time, and seas are rough.
The Warm Season
From December to May the Galapagos Islands get most of the annual rainfall, especially during the first three months of the year. Temperatures are higher during this time, too, and you will have more sunny days than during the Garua season. The heavy southeast trade winds are gone, as is the Humboldt Current, and the northeast trade winds come in. Warmer waters from Panama and Colombia arrive and surface ocean water gets warmer.
El Niño
The warm water flow that arrives each year from the north, from Panama and Colombia to create the warm season, sometimes comes in extra strength. This happens every four to seven years. Because it usually occurs around Christmas time, this phenomenon is called El Niño. El Niño brings with it increased rain and lots of natural disasters for commercial and sport fishermen. The Galapagos Islands don't suffer so many disasters, compared with continental South American countries.
After the El Niño phase, which lasts on average a year to a year and a half, there is another stage called La Niña. La Niña, which means small girl, is a long lasting dry and cold period. For the last three decades, the El Niño-La Niñ cycle repeats itself every seven years.
During the El Niño years, the water temperature lowers significantly. Lower water temperatures means that marine life suffers, even dies. Everything from fish to seal lions will disappear and die during an El Niño. During the ensuing La Niña phase, marine life somehow miraculously regenerates.
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