El Nino Frequency

August 1 through October 27, 1997 Alan Schroeder and Dave Bassett,
OPEC/EE/ U.S. Department Of Energy

At the University of Houston, Texas, Dr. Wellington studies the El Nino phenomenon. In particular the effect of global warming and El Nino. "I suspect that global warming is exacerbating the El Nino phenomenon, but we all know now there is a link." says Wellington. Data from his research shows that since 1970 El Ninos have been occurring every 2.2 years, up from every 3.4 around 1870, every 4.5 year around 1750, and every six years in the late 1600's. The data was obtained from coral growth rings from the Galapagos Islands, where the coral are particularly sensitive to water temperature from El Nino.