Bolstered by buoys: Predicting El Niño
A TAO buoy, part of a system collecting temperature, salinity, velocity, and surface meteorological data that inform climate predictions of ENSO, is lowered into the ocean. Credit: Lt. Cdr. Matthew Wingate, NOAA Corps, CC BY 2.0
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)—the climate phenomenon comprising the warm El Niño, cool La Niña, and neutral climate phases—occurs on a cycle that lasts 2–7 years. When it forms, ENSO drives…