Galapagos coral archives indicate climate change amplifies El Niño strength

Scientists used uranium-thorium dating and chemical analysis of coral skeletons from the Galapagos to reconstruct Pacific sea surface temperatures over a millennium. They found that variability in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation has risen by 36.5% in the last four decades relative to pre-industrial levels, largely due to more powerful El Niño events. This indicates that global warming is amplifying the strength of El Niños.