El Niño and climate change
El Niño means the 'Christ Child' or little boy. Every few years, usually around Christmas time, sea temperatures rise sharply off the coast of South America. This naturally-occurring shift in Pacific weather patterns prompts changes across the globe, causing droughts and flooding in regions as far apart as Africa and India.
El Niño has become more frequent, persistent and intense during the last 20-30 years. We don't know whether this is a natural variation or the effect of increasing greenhouse gases.
Computer models suggest El Niño events will strengthen slightly over the next 100 years.
For more information on El Niño, see pages on the United States' National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration website.