Until 1997, few people had heard of the seasonal current that Peruvians nicknamed El Niño. In this captivating book, renowned oceanographer George Philander eng... » 

Until 1997, few people had heard of the seasonal current that Peruvians nicknamed El Niño. In this captivating book, renowned oceanographer George Philander engages readers in lucid and stimulating discussions of the scientific, political, economic and cultural developments that shaped our perceptions of this force of nature.The book begins by outlining the history of El Niño, an innocuous current that appears off the coast of Peru. It goes on to explore how our perceptions of El Niño were transformed, not because the phenomenon changed, but because we did. «