El Niño and ENSO: The Climate Concept UPSC Repeats
El Niño and ENSO: The Climate Concept UPSC Repeats
El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It involves abnormal warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.
For India, El Niño is important because it can weaken the southwest monsoon, though the relationship is not one-to-one. Other factors such as the Indian Ocean Dipole, Eurasian snow cover and intra-seasonal variation also matter.
[TOPIC CLASSIFICATION]
Topic type: Physical geography and climate
Exam stage relevance: Prelims + Mains GS 1/3
Prelims Hooks
- ENSO
- El Niño
- La Niña
- Southern Oscillation
- Walker circulation
- Indian monsoon
- Indian Ocean Dipole
Mains Angle
Use El Niño in answers on:
- drought preparedness
- food inflation
- heatwaves
- crop planning
- water stress
- climate adaptation
Common Mistake
Do not say El Niño always causes drought in India. It increases risk, but monsoon outcomes depend on multiple interacting systems.
Revision Snapshot
El Niño is a Pacific Ocean-atmosphere phenomenon with Indian monsoon implications. UPSC likes it because it connects physical geography with agriculture, disaster management and climate resilience.