El Niño–Southern Oscillation (Q531)
Subject, term, tag: El Niño–Southern Oscillation
- El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | El Niño–Southern Oscillation |
Subject, term, tag: El Niño–Southern Oscillation |
|
Statements
IPCC Glossary v1.5
1 reference
27 May 2026
The term El Niño was initially used to describe a warm-water current that periodically flows along the coast of Ecuador and Peru, disrupting the local fishery. It has since become identified with warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean east of the dateline. This oceanic event is associated with a fluctuation of a global-scale tropical and subtropical surface pressure pattern called the Southern Oscillation. This coupled atmosphere–ocean phenomenon, with preferred time scales of two to about seven years, is known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The warm and cold phases of ENSO are called El Niño and La Niña, respectively. ENSO is often measured by the surface pressure anomaly difference between Tahiti and Darwin and/or the sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. This phenomenon has a great impact on the wind, sea surface temperature and precipitation patterns in the tropical Pacific. It has climatic effects throughout the Pacific region and in many other parts of the world through global teleconnections. See Section AIV.2.3 in Annex IV of the AR6 WGI report. (English)
IPCC Glossary v1.5
1 reference
27 May 2026