Quote: The 2015-2016 El Niño event is playing out in uncharted territory

by Michel Jarraud, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General

Our scientific understanding of El Niño has increased greatly in recent years. However, this event is playing out in uncharted territory. Our planet has altered dramatically because of climate change […] So this naturally occurring El Niño event and human induced climate change may interact and modify each other in ways which we have never before experienced. Even before the onset of El Niño, global average surface temperatures had reached new records. El Niño is turning up the heat even further.