The warm phase of the coupled tropical Pacific El Niño–Southern Oscillation, with central and eastern equatorial Pacific surface warming and a weakened Walker circulation. Changes of trade winds, thermocline depth, and equatorial Kelvin waves and equatorial Rossby waves participate in its evolution.
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El Niño is a climate phenomenon characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. This warming typically occurs every two to seven years and can last for several months to a couple of years. El Niño is one part of the larger El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, which includes its opposite phase, La Niña, where sea surface temperatures are cooler than average.