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[INTERNATIONAL] · Ecuador, United States, United Kingdom · 66 sources

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El Niño intensity increases by 37% due to climate change

A new study published in the journal Science reveals that El Niño events have intensified significantly due to human-driven climate change. By analyzing the chemical composition of 13 modern and fossilized coral samples from the Galapagos Islands, researchers reconstructed sea surface temperatures over the last 1,000 years.

The findings indicate that El Niño intensity is currently 36% to 37% stronger than in the pre-industrial era. Notably, the intensity has increased by approximately 16% over the last 40 years, suggesting an accelerating trend. Climate models used in the study could not explain this intensification through natural factors like volcanic eruptions or solar activity alone.

Lead author Julia Cole from the University of Michigan noted that the rise in El Niño strength closely tracks the increase in global temperatures caused by fossil fuel combustion. These stronger phenomena are expected to exacerbate extreme weather events worldwide, including severe droughts, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires, potentially causing trillions of dollars in economic damage.

Entities

Adam Scaife · El Niño-Southern Oscillation · Galápagos Islands · Jonathan Overpeck · Julia Cole · Met Office · NASA · NOAA · Pacific Ocean · Science · University of Michigan

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