Indian Ocean may have El Ni˜o of its own

Abstract

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) may have more far‐reaching effects on the global climate than researchers used to think. Not only the Pacific Ocean, but the Indian Ocean experiences cyclical fluctuations in upper ocean temperature that have repercussions for the world's weather, according to a new analysis of surface and subsurface temperature, data confirming the phenomenon for the first time.In fact, the two oceans may be linked in a related pattern that occurs over a 3‐ to 7‐year period, scientists reported last week at AGU's Fall Meeting in San Francisco.