A mystery in the Pacific.

Features FOR years, climate models have predicted that as greenhouse gas emissions rise, ocean waters will warm. New Scientist audio You can now listen to many articles - look for the headphones icon in our app newscientlst.com/app Cooling, not warming Between 1980 and 2022, sea surface temperatures increased by more than Earth's average temperature rise. Blowing cold Another possible explanation for the cold tongue is that climate change is altering winds and ocean upwelling - the process of colder water from the deep ocean rising to the surface - in the Pacific. For example, every three to five years or so, the Pacific flips from La Niña conditions, where surface water temperatures in its equatorial region are relatively cool, to El Niño conditions, where these waters become warmer than average. [Extracted from the article]