El Nino: Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather-Maker. . - Books: a selection of new and notable books of scientific interest - book review

Science News, April 6, 2002

EL NINO: Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather-Maker

J. MADELEINE NASH

A few years ago, El Nino was big news. This occasional, disruptive warming of Pacific waters affected weather patterns around the globe, causing unusual snowfall in Mexico and a lake to form in the middle of the Sechura Desert. More importantly, El Nino killed hundreds of people by setting off landslides in Ecuador, flooding villages in Kenya and Somalia, and triggering tornadoes and snowstorms in the United States. Nash, the former senior science correspondent at Time, relates events of this powerful El Nino and reports what scientists are now finding about its meteorological impact. Remarkably, it's been only within the past few years that meteorologists have realized how tightly El Ninos are linked to weather patterns. Nash's book is bursting with new data, but personalized accounts from survivors of the phenomenon's devastation help put El Nino's strength into perspective. Nash writes that an El Nino "turns dry places wet, wet places dry, cold places warm, and warm places cold." Warner, 2002, 340 p., hardcover, $25.95.