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The planet’s largest and most powerful driver of climate
changes from one year to the next, the El Niño Southern Oscillation in the
tropical Pacific Ocean, was widely thought to have been weaker in ancient times
because of a different configuration of the Earth’s orbit. But scientists
analyzing 25-foot piles of ancient shells have found that the El Niños 10,000
years ago were as strong and frequent as the ones we experience today.