Children's Health Impacted by El Niño: A Decade Later, Children in Peru Still Bear Signs of Early Hardship

Alexandria, VA— Children born during, and up to three years after, the devastating 1997-1998 El Niño event in northern Peru were found to be shorter than their peers. The rising waters wiped out crops, drowned livestock, cut off bridges, and caused prolonged famine in many rural villages. Now, a new study that tracked long-term health impacts on children from the affected region has found that a decade later, the children continue to bear signs of the hardship endured early in their lives.

Learn how the children’s health was impacted by El Niño, and how geoscience can be used to help communities better plan and prepare for environmental disasters in the March issue of EARTH Magazine:

For more stories about the science of our planet, check out EARTH magazine online or subscribe at www.earthmagazine.org. The March issue, now available for download, features stories on the asbestos controversy unfolding in Nevada, new satellite maps of carbon dioxide sources, and an ongoing, multi-million dollar treasure hunt in the U.S. Rocky Mountains.