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El Niño Southern Oscillation.

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Or ENSO.

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ENSO is a pattern of trade winds
and ocean temperatures

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in the eastern tropical Pacific
that impacts global climate.

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It has three phases:

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El Niño, La Niña and neutral, shifting
between them every few years.

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Weaker trade winds during El Niño

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allow warm water to pile up
in the eastern tropical Pacific.

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This warming ocean temperature tends

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to drive warmer temperatures globally
and wetter conditions in the southern U.S.

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La Niña acts like El Niño’s reverse.

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Stronger trade winds
keep the eastern tropical Pacific cool,

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driving cooler global temperatures
and a drier southern U.S..

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We've been experiencing a rare triple dip
or three years of La Niña, impacting

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drought in the American Southwest
and producing slightly

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cooler global temperatures
than we might expect otherwise.

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ENSO’s minor effects on global temperature
are one reason the past few years

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have been slightly cooler than 2020
or 2016 -- El Niño years.

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However, temperature shifts
ENSO brings aren't nearly as significant

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as the global pattern of warming
caused by humans.

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In fact, current La Niña -- cooler
-- years are warmer than previous El Niño

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-- warmer -- years.

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With or without ENSO, warming on
Earth is here and we are causing it.