Climate Anomalies and the El Niño Phenomenon

Abstract

Climate anomalies, especially warming surface water temperatures recorded by coral scientists, drew attention to changes in weather patterns. Both the Southern Oscillation in the Pacific Ocean and the Walker Circulation in the Indian Ocean, which had been studied by meteorologists for decades and used in prediction, held the key to understanding part of changing weather patterns and ocean warming. Advanced technology allowed for the collection of ocean temperatures in real time by remote sensors and satellites set up by NOAA. As the series of extreme weather events occurred, NOAA scientists, in collaboration with scientists from around the world, began investigating links between sea surface temperatures, ENSO events, increasing atmospheric pollution and the warming of the planet.