Researchers at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment found that ocean saltiness can influence the strength of El Niño, a climate phenomenon that can dramatically affect global weather. The results, published in Geophysical Research Letters in January, could inform development of more precise El Niño forecasts.
El Niño occurs every two to seven years, marked by wetter conditions in some parts of the world and drier weather in others. Its formation depends on weakening trade winds — persistent air currents that have propelled countless sailboats from east to west along the equator.
Typically, these winds push deeper,…