Uncovering Ancient El Niño: The Evidence of Climate Oscillations 250 Million Years Ago

A groundbreaking study from Duke University researchers reveals that the climate patterns known as El Niño and La Niña have deep historical roots, existing **250 million years ago** with even greater intensity than today. Using complex **climate modeling tools** similar to those of the IPCC, the researchers conducted 'experiments' by simulating the Earth's climatic past in **26 different 10-million-year slices**. These simulations showed that the oscillations persisted even when Earth's landmasses were drastically different, such as during the Mezozoic period when South America was part of the supercontinent Pangea. The study highlighted that the **thermal structure of the ocean** and **'atmospheric noise' from surface winds** played crucial roles in the magnitude of these ancient oscillations. Previous research often neglected the impact of atmospheric winds, but this study argues they are significant. According to Xiang Li, the study's first author, these winds can be likened to a random force pushing a pendulum, affecting the strength of the El Niño and La Niña events. Understanding these ancient climatic patterns can help scientists make more reliable **future climate projections**, as emphasized by lead researcher Shineng Hu. The study was supported by international organizations, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Swedish Research Council, with simulations performed at Peking University's High-Performance Computing Platform.