Historical plankton suggests excessive El Niños will develop into twice as widespread

A reconstruction of Pacific Ocean temperatures 21,000 years in the past, based mostly on the chemistry of tiny shells, provides hefty help to projections that local weather change will make sturdy El Niño occasions much more widespread, resulting in extra excessive climate around the globe.

“We’re projecting a reasonably dramatic change,” says Kaustubh Thirumalai on the College of Arizona.

The irregular cycle between warmer- and cooler-than-average temperatures within the equatorial Pacific Ocean –…