The climate phenomenon known as El Nino — and not climate change — was a key driver in low rainfall that disrupted shipping at the Panama Canal last year, scientists said Wednesday. A team of international scientists found that El Nino — a natural warming of the central Pacific that changes weather worldwide — doubled the

The El Nino climate phenomenon, not climate change, drove lower rainfall last year that reduced the Panama Canal's water levels and contributed to shipping restrictions that disrupted global trade, a study released on Wednesday found.

The climate phenomenon known as El Niño - and not climate change - was a key driver in low rainfall that disrupted shipping at the Panama Canal last year, scientists said Wednesday.

The low water levels that choked cargo traffic were more closely tied to the natural climate cycle than to human-caused warming, a team of scientists has concluded.

El Niño, rather than climate change, was the primary culprit behind a severe drought that is still having ripple effects throughout global supply chains, a new study found. Why it matters: The conditions have significantly reduced ship traffic through the Panama Canal.