"The El Nino weather pattern that can bring drought to Australia and rain to South America was 'unusually active' at the end of the 20th century, possibly due to climate change, a University of Hawaii study found."

"Researchers studied 2,222 tree-ring records as proxies for temperature and rainfall over the past 700 years, the university wrote in an online statement dated yesterday. The records indicate the El Nino-Southern Oscillation weather phenomenon has been increasingly active in recent decades relative to the past seven centuries.

The drought associated with El Nino’s warm phase can cause smaller rice crops in Asia and cut wheat production in Australia, while the rains can cause flooding in South America and weaker cold ocean currents reduce anchovy catches off Peru. Accurately forecasting El Nino is challenging because it varies naturally over decades and centuries, the university said."

Rudy Ruitenberg reports for Bloomberg Businessweek July 1, 2013. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"El Nino More Active In 20th Century Than In Previous 700 Years" (RedOrbit) [3]

"Global Warming May Be Triggering Unusually Active El Ninos" (AccuWeather) [4]

"Tree Rings Reveal El Niño Tied To Recent Global Warming" (Christian Science Monitor) [5]