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5. General Circulation
El-Niño is a locally generated phenomenon affecting the whole world
Fishermen off the coast of South America in the late 1800s first recognised El -Niño as abnormally warm water in the Pacific ocean after the beginning of the year. This localised phenomenon is part of a complex system of dynamic and thermodynamic interactions between the atmosphere, oceans and land surfaces called El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In most years El-Niño does not occur but in others, the effects can be worldwide, causing drought and wildfires in one part of the world, and torrential rains to other, normally dry, regions of the Earth, for example, the 1982 El-Niño event.
El-Niño Ocean Temperature Departure (oC)
When was El-Niño first recognised?