Chapter 1
How Peruvian fishermen discovered El Niño
Chapter 2
The physical engine of the Pacific
Chapter 3
The global domino effect of weather
Chapter 4
The cool sibling and the ENSO cycle
Chapter 5
Watching the ocean from space and sea
Ch 5 · Watching the ocean from space and sea
diego Earth-orbiting satellites track El Niño by measuring sea surface height and ocean temperature from space.
Quiz
What is the name of the network of 70 moored buoys that monitors the equatorial Pacific?
diego Meteorologists feed ocean data into massive supercomputers to forecast El Niño months in advance.
Quiz
How many months in advance can modern supercomputer models reliably predict an El Niño?
Quiz
What percentage of excess global heat from greenhouse gases is absorbed by the oceans?
Quiz
What do scientists call the computerized mathematical simulations used to forecast climate patterns?
Fun Fact
Floating thermometers: Ocean buoys have cables extending 500 meters deep into the water to measure temperatures at different depths.
Glossary
buoy (noun)
An anchored float used in marine science to collect and transmit oceanographic data. In 1997, Pacific buoy networks recorded massive underwater temperature shifts during a historic equatorial warming event.
An anchored float used in marine science to collect and transmit oceanographic data. In 1997, Pacific buoy networks recorded massive underwater temperature shifts during a historic equatorial warming event.