Noaa and Nasa team up to investigate strongest El Niño on record

Two agencies' survey via land, sea and air will hopefully help improve weather forecasts and models that predict the longer-term impact of climate change

America's two leading climate science agencies are conducting an unprecedented survey via land, sea and air to investigate the current El Nino event and better understand its impact on weather systems that have brought both parched and soaking conditions to North America.

The project, which will conclude in March, will deploy resources from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) and Nasa to analyze one of the strongest El Ninos on record. El Nino is a periodic phenomenon in which parts of the eastern Pacific warm, causing a ripple effect for weather around the world.