Sky Islands Climate

Panoramic illustrated banner of the Sky Islands Climate site: a saguaro-dotted desert foreground rising through hazy mid-elevation ranges to twin forested peaks, with the site title and tagline overlaid

Encyclopedia

C E H N P R V

  • El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

    The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a natural, recurring swing in ocean temperatures, rainfall, air pressure, and winds across the tropical Pacific Ocean (NOAA Climate Prediction Center, ENSO FAQ). It has three phases. El Niño is the warm phase, when the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific runs warmer than normal. La…