The term EL NINO refers to a large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate interaction that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean. It is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, which can have far-reaching impacts on weather patterns around the world. El Nino is part of a larger phenomenon known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with an ocean current known as the El Nino Current.