As super El Nino strengthens, study suggests that climate change is intensifying El Ninos

A new study asserts that human-induced climate change is causing El Ninos — periodic climatic events that heat up global temperatures — to become stronger. El Ninos are now over 36% more intense than they were before the mid-1800s industrial era, with a 16% increase over the past 40 years alone, as reported in the journal Science. A powerful El Nino forming recently is projected to be the largest on record. El Ninos cause worldwide weather disruptions and extreme events, including heatwaves, floods, and droughts.

The lead researcher, paleoclimate scientist Julia Cole from the University of Michigan, analyzed coral fossils from the Galapagos Islands over 900 years to reconstruct past ocean temperatures. Her data shows a strong parallel between El Nino intensification and global temperature rise due to human activities like fossil fuel burning. Marine scientist Boris Worm of Dalhousie University notes that El Ninos cause significant environmental impacts like coral die-offs and food shortages.

Renowned climate scientist Wallace Broecker warned that "the climate system is an angry beast and we are poking it with sticks," attributing such outbursts to human emissions. Columbia University’s El Nino tracker predicts the current El Nino's strength to continue growing for another two to four months. Scientists have postulated that rising global temperatures should intensify El Ninos, but observational records are limited to about 75 years, making it difficult to detect trends.

Cole’s team circumvented the short observational record by investigating coral skeletons, which act as natural time capsules. The coral data reveals a hockey stick-shaped temperature pattern, indicating intensified El Ninos over the centuries. While some scientists welcome the study’s findings, others dispute its validity, citing discrepancies with recent water temperature measurements in the Galapagos. Still, all agree that climate change poses a serious threat, regardless of El Nino intensification.