The Definition of El Niño.

Abstract A review is given of the meaning of the term "El Nino" and how it has changed in time, so there is no universal single definition. This needs to be recognized for scientific uses, and precision can only be achieved if the particular definition is identified in each use to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding. For quantitative purposes, possible definitions are explored that match the El Ninos identified historically after 1950, and it is suggested that an El Nino can be said to occur if 5-month running means of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the Nino 3.4 region (5°N–5°S, 120°–170°W) exceed 0.4°C for 6 months or more. With this definition, El Ninos occur 31% of the time and La Ninas (with an equivalent definition) occur 23% of the time. The histogram of Nino 3.4 SST anomalies reveals a bimodal character. An advantage of such a definition is that it allows the beginning, end, duration, and magnitude of each event to be quantified. Most El Ninos begin in the northern spring or perh...