It is the one of the most fearsome natural phenomena on earth. It affects almost everyone on the planet. Every time it appears it causes death, destruction and disease. It has even changed the course of history. It is El Nino.
El Nino was first recognized hundreds of years ago by Peruvian fishermen who saw that every few years the fish they depended on disappeared. Because this strange event often happened at Christmas time they called it El Nino - the Christ Child. But for years it seemed like it was just a Peruvian problem, something to do with the local ocean currents.
But over the last hundred years a dramatic scientific detective story has revealed that El Nino is actually a global phenomenon - affecting the oceans and the weather from Europe to Antarctica. In Australia it leads to drought, in California to freak storms, in Europe it can cause bitter winters - it can even stop the Indian monsoon. When El Nino strikes, there's almost nowhere on earth that escapes.
Once they realized the power of El Nino, historians began to search for evidence of its destructive force in the past. From the sinking of the Titanic to the death of ancient civilizations, El Nino has been blamed for many great events in history.
Now some scientists say that El Nino could be about to get worse, and unleash even greater destruction. What's worse, we humans may be to blame. Global warming could turn El Nino into something even more fearsome.
click here to see where to watch or .
Ready to Watch CBC Wild Docs, Season 2007, Episode 10?