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.
Pounding surf lashing the swanky California enclave of Malibu on Tuesday opened a giant sinkhole in the driveway of a house reportedly belonging to U.S. actor Nicolas Cage.
Environment
Sep 9, 2026
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Since the 1950s, the Tibetan Plateau has experienced pronounced warming and wetting. However, an overall shift toward wetter conditions does not necessarily mean that drought risk has diminished. On the contrary, against ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 8, 2026
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Has El Niño reached the West Coast? You might think it has. After all, the ocean off Southern and Central California is unusually warm. But that warmth is from a recent marine heat wave that predates the current El Niño. ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 5, 2026
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318
El Niño is firmly established and will intensify into a very strong event in the coming months, with major impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns and associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat, according to ...
Environment
Sep 4, 2026
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The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for only the second time because of drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Environment
Sep 3, 2026
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A rare trio of hurricanes were churning through the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, which scientists attributed to waters warmed by a historically strong El Niño phenomenon.
Environment
Sep 3, 2026
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Two powerful hurricanes and a strengthening tropical storm on Wednesday were churning through the Pacific Ocean, where waters were being warmed by a historically strong El Niño climate episode.
Earth Sciences
Sep 2, 2026
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A new study suggests that El Ninos—the natural climatic chaos agent that pops up periodically and spikes global temperatures—are getting stronger because of human-caused climate change.
Earth Sciences
Aug 30, 2026
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Temperatures have warmed dramatically across the equatorial Pacific Ocean in 2026, signaling the onset of a strong and potentially historic El Niño. These events can affect weather around the world, and the intensity of recent ...
Environment
Aug 28, 2026
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As an El Niño of historic proportions is taking shape in the tropical Pacific, a University of Michigan study has found that El Niño events have become nearly 40% stronger in the last 40 years than they were in the preindustrial ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 27, 2026
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