Publication Date November 4, 2015 | The Sydney Morning Herald

The Blob' warm pool in the Pacific may prolong life of monster El Nino

United States
This year's big El Nino may linger longer than expected. Photo: Timothy Connell
This year's big El Nino may linger longer than expected. Photo: Timothy Connell

The powerful "Great Godzilla" El Nino in the Pacific may last as much as two months longer than expected because of another unusual climate phenomenon scientists have nick-named "The Blob"...One effect is that the winds that blow westward during an El Nino are much further north than they would normally be at this time in the event's cycle, researchers in the US and Australia say...Wenju Cai, a principal research scientist with the CSIRO who has published widely on how climate change will likely make extreme El Ninos more common, said the timing of these winds is particularly unusual and will likely prolong the event.