Galapagos Lakes Reveal Tropical Pacific Climate Since Biblical Times

When it comes to Earth's climate, what happens in the tropical Pacific Ocean has an outsize influence. The climate state of the vast equatorial Pacific, which covers half the planet, affects weather patterns around the globe.


Co-authors Julian Sachs (left) and Daniel Nelson cut a sediment core into 1-cm-thick slices on Isabela Island in the Galapagos in 2008. Credit: Alyssa Atwood
University of Washington oceanographers used clues from the Galapagos Islands -- a dot in the middle of the Pacific Ocean -- to trace El Niño patterns and seasonal tropical rains over the past 2,000 years. Evidence shows shifts that last for centuries, suggesting these tropical climate patterns have varied more radically and for longer durations than previously believed.

The study is published the week of March 14, 2016 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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