Researchers say the Atlantic Ocean's rapid warming has caused the turbocharged Pacific Equatorial trade winds to reach speeds not observed since the 1860s.

Shayne McGregor from the University of New South Wales said the main cause is a change in the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean.

Like Us on Facebook

Researchers said the increase in wind levels caused the eastern tropical Pacific to cool. This cooling triggered an acceleration of sea levels, which rose three times faster than the Western Pacific.

Researchers believe this phenomenon may be responsible for the El Niño events that were less common during the past decades.

McGregor said this highlights how changes in climate in one part of the world can have extensive impacts around the globe.

Researchers believe the rapid warming of the Atlantic Ocean caused an unexpected pressure between the two oceans to develop, giving a big push to the Pacific Equatorial trade winds

Axel Timmermann from the University of Hawaii said the rapid warming of the Atlantic Ocean created high pressure zones in the upper atmosphere over the basic and low pressure zones close to the surface of the ocean.

He noted that rising air parcels over the Atlantic will eventually sink over the eastern tropical Pacific that created the higher pressure. The high pressure in the Pacific and low pressure in the Atlantic gave the Pacific trade winds an increased strength.

Matthew England, one of the researchers, said it will be difficult to predict when the Pacific cooling trend will come to an end.

He said the El Niño event might be the key to bringing back a more synchronized Atlantic and Pacific warming situation.