ENSO
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El Niño 2026: How Big Could It Get?
The current El Niño will break all sea-surface temperature records to date and will very likely deliver unprecedented weather-related impacts around the world.
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You Asked: What Exactly Is a ‘Super’ El Niño?
Columbia Climate School experts explain what a strong El Niño could mean for the planet this year.
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Study of Extreme Indian Rainfall Upends Conventional Wisdom
While El Niño often brings drought conditions to India, a new paper shows that it also increases the likelihood of devastating downpours in some of the country’s most heavily populated regions.
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Heat, Storm, Drought, Fire: Prolonged Climate Extremes as Cool La Niña Pacific Pattern Persists
As the tropical Pacific stays stuck in a cool phase, dangerous patterns persist worldwide.
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How Much Do Climate Fluctuations Matter for Global Crop Yields?
A new study finds that ENSO has caused widespread, simultaneous crop failures in recent history, running counter to the long-held assumption that crop failures in geographically distant breadbasket regions are unrelated.
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How Will La Niña Affect Winter in the U.S.?
This phenomenon can cause major changes in climate patterns. See what’s in store for your region.
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What’s in the Forecast and How Do We Know?
The Earth Institute’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society makes probabilistic forecasts for rainfall and temperature for the next six months. How does it do this?
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Learning from El Niño as La Niña Odds Rise
Although El Niño is weakening, its ramifications continue to be felt around the world. Drought and resulting food insecurity is one of the major implications for southeast Asia, eastern and southern Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Sixty million are in need of emergency relief today, according to the United Nations.
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El Niño and Global Warming—What’s the Connection?
The United Nations has declared 2015 the hottest year since record keeping began. It was also a year marked by the occurrence of a “super” El Niño. Are the warming temperatures and El Niño connected?
On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!
