Could this be the strongest El Niño in 1,000 Years?

Every year, climate scientists keep a close eye on data coming out of a particular area of the Pacific Ocean. They’re trying to measure the scale of a climate phenomenon - the El Niño event or effect.

This is a naturally occurring phenomenon where ocean surface temperatures rise, transferring warmth from the ocean to the atmosphere. This can drive up global temperatures but also play havoc with weather systems, with profound consequences.

And this year, scientists have watched with ever-widening eyes, as their projections for the peak of this year’ El Niño event have come in unprecedently high.

Indeed, one climate scientist has argued that it's not beyond the realm of possibility to say this might be the strongest El Niño event in 500 or even 1,000 years.

We wanted to find out more, so we went straight to the scientist himself.

Contributor:

Dr. Zeke Hausfather - research scientist with Berkeley Earth and climate research lead at Stripe

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford

Producer: Nathan Gower

Series Producer: Tom Colls

Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Sound Mix: Dave O’Neill

Editor: Richard Vadon