Weather and Climate Dynamics Division
El Niño research
For years, scientists have tracked the intensity of the El Niño Southern Oscillation by measuring the strength of the sea surface temperature anomaly. El Niños occur when warmer ocean water wells up toward the eastern equatorial Pacific. But the strength of the temperature anomaly may not be the only important factor in predicting El Niño-related weather events. Our researchers found that the location of sea-surface warming appears to be just as critical. For instance, El Niños that develop near the central equatorial Pacific appear to cause drought during the Indian Monsoon, whereas warm waters near the eastern equatorial Pacific may have no impact on monsoon rains.
