How do scientists detect El Nio and La Nia and predict their evolution?
Scientists from NOAA and other agencies use a variety of tools and techniques to monitor and forecast changes in the Pacific Ocean and the impact of those changes on global weather patterns. In the tropical Pacific Ocean, El Nio is detected by many methods, including satellites, moored buoys, drifting buoys, sea level analysis, and expendable buoys. Many of these ocean observing systems were part of the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program, and are now evolving into an operational El Nio/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) observing system. NOAA also operates a research ship, the KA’IMIMOANA, which is dedicated to servicing the Tropical Ocean Atmosphere (TAO) bouy network component of the observing system. Large computer models of the global ocean and atmosphere, such as those at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, part of the National Weather Service, use data from the ENSO observing system as input to predict El Nio. Other models are used for El Nino research, su
