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Article: El Nio
- Article from:
- The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2002
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The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2002
01-01-2002
El Nio
Source:
National Weather Service, NOAA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
El Nio is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon characterized by warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures in the equatorial eastern Pacific and along the tropical western coasts of Central and South America. The term
El Nio
, Spanish for the Christ Child, was originally used by Ecuadorian and Peruvian fishermen to refer to a warm ocean current typically appearing around Christmastime and lasting for several months. Fish are less abundant during these warm intervals, so fishermen often take a break to repair equipment and spend time ...