El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a coupled ocean–atmosphere phenomenon in the tropical Pacific characterized by quasi-periodic fluctuations between warm (El Niño), cold (La Niña), and neutral phases. It arises from interactions among equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperatures, trade winds, and the Walker circulation, producing large-scale anomalies in convection, thermocline depth, and surface pressure, notably the Southern Oscillation index. ENSO modulates global atmospheric circulation, altering precipitation, temperature, and storm tracks on interannual timescales, and serves as a key source of seasonal-to-interannual climate variability and predictability in climate diagnostics and modeling.
California's coastal bluffs and beaches look rugged, but they can be surprisingly fragile in the face of a powerful El Niño.
Environment
12 hours ago
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Britain's Met Office says this year's El Niño is "unprecedented." Japan's weather agency has called it the strongest ever observed. U.S. forecasters say it still trails the biggest events in its record books.
Environment
Oct 19, 2026
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The strong El Niño currently under way in the Pacific Ocean raises the specter of marine heat waves and coral bleaching once again threatening Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. And now new research has revealed the complex ...
Environment
Oct 17, 2026
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A phenomenon rarer than a solar eclipse and more powerful than any single storm system is unfolding this fall, and NASA is tracking it closely.
Earth Sciences
Oct 16, 2026
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A super El Niño fueling record ocean temperatures poses a "terrifying" threat to the world's fragile coral reefs, the chair of the U.N.'s expert nature panel told AFP.
Ecology
Oct 15, 2026
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Reaching net zero sooner would limit long-lasting changes to El Niño and the tropical Pacific, new climate modeling suggests, although heat stored deep in the ocean means changes to the tropical Pacific could persist for ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 13, 2026
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Food security concerns, wildfires and power warnings are among the impacts around the world this week from an exceptionally strong El Niño weather cycle.
Environment
Oct 13, 2026
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Though strong El Niños have occurred only four times in as many decades, 2024's intense El Niño is already getting a sequel. New UCLA research shows that 2024 broke the record for extreme rainfall, with 40% of that increase ...
Environment
Oct 12, 2026
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An intensifying El Niño pattern set an all-time temperature high in a key Pacific zone in September and could help make this year the hottest globally on record, the director of the EU's climate monitor said Monday.
Environment
Oct 12, 2026
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Sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific are forecast to increase to record levels during October–December 2026, reflecting the strengthening of the El Niño event, which will drive weather patterns ...
Environment
Oct 8, 2026
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