The coral chronicles. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38301000/)

These scientists went to a faraway island in the Pacific Ocean to learn more about something called El Nino. El Nino is a big change in the weather that happens every few years, and it can cause lots of rain, storms, and even droughts in different parts of the world.

To understand how El Nino might change in the future, the scientists looked at really old reefs that were underwater for a very long time. Reefs are like big rocks made by tiny animals called corals. These corals can tell us about the temperature and the water conditions when they were alive.

The scientists carefully collected pieces of these ancient reefs and brought them back to their lab. They studied the corals and looked for special marks or patterns that could tell them about the past. By studying these marks, they could figure out how El Nino behaved a long time ago.

Then, the scientists compared the information from the ancient corals with what they already knew about El Nino today. They wanted to see if there were any changes over time and if El Nino might become stronger or happen more often in the future.

By doing this study, the scientists hope to understand more about El Nino and how it might affect our weather in the coming years. This knowledge can help us prepare for any changes and keep ourselves safe.

Voosen P. The coral chronicles. Science. 2024 Feb 2;383(6682):472-477. doi: 10.1126/science.ado3600. Epub 2024 Feb 1.