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.

A study says 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.

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.

A cargo ship sails toward the Pacific Ocean after moving though the Panama Canal, seen from Panama City, Aug. 3, 2023. The climate phenomenon known as El Niño