Volcanoes kick-start El Niño
Eruptions make natural climate swings twice as likely.
20 November 2003
PHILIP BALL
El Niño - the recurrent climate swing that brings flood, fire and famine - can be triggered by volcanic eruptions, according to a new report.
Climate and eruption records dating back to the seventeenth century suggest that a large eruption can double the likelihood of an El Niño event the following winter.
http://www.nature.com/nsu/031117/031117-4.html