El Niño – “the child” in Spanish – was named by fishermen in Peru and Ecuador because the phenomenon arrives at Christmas there. It is part of a natural meteorological cycle that happens roughly every 3-7 years and affects weather worldwide for a year or more. It is caused by changes in ocean temperatures, with the first sign being abnormal warming in the Pacific.
Predictions are that El Niño is expected to strengthen and last through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2009-2010, of particular concern to long-distance cruisers, in particular, those planning to transit the Pacific.
Noonsite has received many questions from cruisers about this phenomenon, and we recommend reading the following 2 articles for further information and monitoring the ENSO website [BROKEN LINK] for monthly updates.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/13/el-nino-climate-change
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.html [BROKEN LINK]