Why, since around 1960, have winters in northern Europe tended to become milder and wetter? The meteorological conditions responsible came under discussion at a meeting last month. The North Atlantic Oscillation has a big influence on weather and climate in the Atlantic region, and so has been termed El Nino's northern cousin. But as was clear at a conference on the topic, the phenomenon is more complicated than its counterpart in the tropical Pacific—which itself is far from understood. Not surprisingly, then, even the question "What exactly is the North Atlantic Oscillation?" is controversial.
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