"El Niño can be found in and above the Pacific Ocean for two reasons. One is because of specific trade winds over the Pacific, and the other is the size of of the Pacific.  

"The trade winds in the Pacific are an obvious part of the El Niño phenomenon. If the west-moving trade winds did not occasionally weaken, then the warm water could never collect off the coast of South America.  

"The other reason is that the Pacific Ocean is the widest ocean on Earth, wider than the Atlantic or the Indian. Scientists believe that because the Pacific covers so much  water, conditions change more slowly than in other oceans.  

"Some scientists believe that other oceans, like the Atlantic, form warm or cold spots like the Pacific. But natural forces, like waves or trade winds, cross and affect the entire ocean. These forces break up warm spots in the ocean before they have a chance to grow to a size like El Niño.  

"But the Pacific is a much larger ocean. Winds and waves take a much longer time to cross it, losing power as they go. When they reach a warm spot, they are weaker and have a lessened effect on it. The result is that these warm spots can survive and grow in the Pacific, where in other oceans they would be minimized.  

"So scientists think that because of the Pacific Ocean's size and trade winds, El Niño has a better opportunity to exist there than in any other ocean."