EL NIÑO'S POWERFUL REACH   What is
El Niño?
Clues From
the Past
Long Distance
Connections
Winners &
Losers
El Niño
Lowdown

Left 1 2 Did You Know?

El Nino Effects
Scientists believe that El Niño events have been occurring for at least 40,000 years.
Satellites
The effects of El Niño have been tracked for thousands of years. However, satellites have greatly improved scientists' understanding of the El Niño phenomenon.
Hurricanes
El Niño suppresses hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, which are a leading cause of property damage in the Eastern United States. The opposite is true during La Ni�a events.
 
Romaine Lettuce
Heavy El Niño rains in February 1998 destroyed the California romaine lettuce crops driving up the cost of salad ingredients.
Deer Mouse
The Centers for Disease Control believes that an El Niño in 1993-94 aided the spread of Hantavirus in the American Southwest. More rainfall triggered the deer mouse population that carry the virus.
Locusts
In 1998, a La Ni�a event helped swarms of locusts fly across the Atlantic from Africa to Jamaica and five other Caribbean Islands.
 
Bountiful Harvest
El Niño can cause hardship for some farmers while providing rains and bountiful harvests for others.
Iguana
El Niño causes severe drought, warmer ocean waters, and decreased nutrient upwelling off the Gal�pagos Islands. The iguanas that feed on marine algae lose their food source. More than 90% can die of starvation.
Coral Reef
Many scientists suspect that global warming is the main culprit of coral reef death. But El Niño events can drive ocean temperatures even higher and accelerate coral reef loss.