A
study of ancient coral reefs has revealed that the weather phenomenon
known the (1) El Nino was most intense during the 20th century. El
Nino, which has been present for (2) the past 130,000 years, is
an atmospheric phenomenon occurring in the Pacific Ocean. It is known to contribute to (3) climatic disturbances along the
western coast of Peru and Ecuador on (4) account of
exceptionally warm ocean conditions it brings to (5). El Nino,
which stands for (6) ‘the child' referring to (7) the
infant Jesus Christ, appears in the regions every December around
Christmas. Every three to seven years, El Nino brings about (8)
being really severe and intense weather conditions. The disturbances
strike when the warm ocean currents result in (9) a reversal in
the normal weather conditions of the eastern and western Pacific. El
Nino is responsible for (10) changes in the wind pattern,
temperature of the air and the sea surface, which in (11) turn
culminate into (12) heavy rainfalls in South America as well as (13)
droughts in India and southern Africa. It is now said that El Nino can
influence the climate of more than half the earth. It is also blamed for (14) recent droughts and floods in Australia. Researchers
claim that El Nino's activity was never so (15) acute as during
the last hundred years. Its intensity has been on (16) the
increase since ice ages. The popular view is that El Nino's intense
impact may be related to (17) global arming and emissions of
greenhouse gases. Although there is no sufficient evidence to back up (18) the assumption, it is common knowledge that a great many
global changes have come about (19) in climate ever before
(20) the temperature on the planet started to increase.