Matching Storms

An unsettled Sun may have a big impact on some of the biggest weather-makers on Earth: El Niño and La Niña. These alternating events in the Pacific Ocean can bring floods to some parts of the world and droughts to others, and alter global temperatures for months or years. And a recent study found a strong correlation between the cycles of El Niño and La Niña and the magnetic cycle of the Sun.
The solar cycle lasts about 11 years. At its peak, it produces many sunspots — dark magnetic storms on the surface of the Sun — as well as big outbursts of radiation and particles. And at the cycle’s low point, the Sun is quiet, with few if any magnetic storms.
Researchers looked at records of solar activity from 1900 to 2018. They compared that to records of El Niño and La Niña over the same period. And they found a match. When solar activity was high, the temperature of the North Pacific was high as well. That correlated to longer and stronger bouts of El Niño. And when the Sun was quiet, Pacifi