厄尔尼诺是什么？太平洋的海水一变热，全世界的天气都跟着变

Today, let's talk about the weather.

The weather is sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Today, we'll talk about a name related to the weather.

This name is El Niño.

Many people have heard this name.

El Niño has to do with the ocean.

In a very big ocean, the sea water gets warm.

This ocean is called the Pacific.

The Pacific is the largest ocean.

The Pacific's water is normally cold.

But every few years, the water gets warm.

When the sea water warms, the weather changes with it.

This phenomenon of warming sea water is called El Niño.

This name was given long ago by fishermen in Peru.

Because it often happens around Christmas.

So they used this name for it.

So what happens when El Niño arrives?

The biggest problem is it makes the weather in many places very strange.

Some places get a lot of rain.

Too much rain leads to floods.

For example, California may get heavy rain and flooding in winter.

But in other places, it won't rain for a long time.

Without rain, it gets dry, and crops don't grow well.

For example, parts of South America may get very dry.

Parts of Australia and Southeast Asia may get both dry and hot.

One more important thing: El Niño makes the whole Earth hotter.

The Earth is already getting hotter year by year.

Add El Niño on top, and it gets hotter still.

Scientists have been watching the Pacific's water.

This year, they found the water warming especially fast.

So they say this year's El Niño may be very strong.

It may be the strongest in decades.

A very strong El Niño like this is also called a "super El Niño."

The last time it was this strong was many years ago.

If it really happens this year, this year and next may be the hottest yet.

Besides the heat, sea levels along the coast rise a bit.

When the sea rises, coastal cities flood more easily.

Still, El Niño isn't all bad.

For instance, in some places, Atlantic hurricanes become fewer.

El Niño isn't new; it has come many times before.

But scientists can now tell earlier that it's coming.

Knowing that, we can prepare in advance.

For example, storing extra water, or watching out for floods.

You might think this is just about weather and has nothing to do with you.

Actually, that's not so.

When the weather changes, many things change with it.

For example, some foods become scarcer and more expensive.

So El Niño has to do with every one of us.

Okay, today we learned what El Niño is.

It's the warming of the Pacific's water, which shifts weather all over the world.