Sea-Surface Temperature Anomalies: El Niño
OceansPhysical EnvironmentA composite of sea-surface temperature anomalies during El Niño from November to March during the following years: 1958, 1966, 1973, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996, and 1998. When sea-surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise well above normal, it is known as an El Niño event.
NOAASea-surface temperature anomalies during El Niño. The most intense warming (2 to 2.25 degrees Celsius, dark brown) occurs off the coast of South America. Cooler areas (negative 2.25 to negative 2 degrees Celsius, dark blue) are in the Arctic Ocean.
-0.25 to 0.25 | 0.75 to 1.0 | 1.0 to 1.25 | 1.25 to 1.5 | 1.5 to 1.75 | Class | Rank | Acres | Class | Rank | Million Metric Tons | Caledonian and Hercynian (or Appalachian) remnants | Isolated volcanic areas | Alpine system | Sedimentary covers | Laurasian shields | 100 and above | 81–100 | 71–80 | 61–70 | 51–60 | 41–50 | 31–40 | 21–30 | 11–20 | 6–10 | 2–5 | 1 and below | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.311% | 1.20% | 0.159% | 0.444% | 2.10% | 19.2% | 76.7% | 61.8% | 40.1% | 53.1% | 9.02% | 23.9% | 9.48% | 11.8% | 42.4% | 27.6% | 21.7% | 21.0% | 24.2% | 14.9% | 29.2% | 7.65% | |||||||