The Origins of El Niño: A Fisherman's Tale

El Niño, a climate phenomenon characterized by periodic warming of the equatorial central and eastern Pacific Ocean, got its name from South American fishermen who noticed the irregular warming of the Pacific waters in the 1600s. They called it El Niño de Navidad, meaning "The Christmas Child," as its strength usually peaks in winter. El Niño's warm signature is tracked using various data sources such as buoys, satellites, and computer models. The warm water associated with El Niño comes from beneath the ocean's surface. The current El Niño was fueled by warmer than average water pooling below the Pacific Ocean's surface and eventually rose up to warm the ocean's surface waters.