Effect of extreme El Niño events on the precipitation of Ecuador

Abstract

Extreme El Niño events stand out not only because they have powerful impacts but also because they are significantly different from other El Niños. In Ecuador, such events are accountable for negatively impacting the economy, infrastructure, and population. Spatial-temporal dynamics of precipitation anomalies from various types of extreme El Niño events are analyzed and compared. Results show that for eastern Pacific (EP) and coastal Pacific (COA) El Niño types, most precipitation extremes occur in the first half of the second year of the event. Any significant difference between events becomes more evident at this stage. Spatially, for any event, 50g€¯% of all extreme anomalies occurred at elevations