‘Impossible’ research produces 400-year El Niño record, revealing startling changes

Science Daily  May 6, 2019
Researchers in Australia have identified spatial and temporal patterns in observed sea surface temperatures that distinguish the evolution of Eastern and Central Pacific El Niño events in the tropical Pacific for the past four centuries, using patterns recorded by a network of 27 seasonally resolved coral records. They found a simultaneous increase in Central Pacific events and a decrease in Eastern Pacific events since the late twentieth century. Compared to the past four centuries, the most recent 30-year period includes fewer, but more intense, Eastern Pacific El Niño events. Having a better understanding of how different types of El Niños have affected us in the past and present, will mean we are more able to model, predict and plan for future El Niños and their wide-ranging impacts…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE