When there's a long record of climate, like the one from the coral, we can ask the question of whether recent warm conditions are unusual or part of a natural cycle,

Our study indicates that in addition to being responsible for some of the year-to-year changes in East African climate, ENSO may also set the pace for slower decadal changes.

Only when we have a long-term perspective can we say anything at all about long-term variability, especially decadal variability,

Our study indicates that in addition to being responsible for some of the year-to-year changes in East African climate, ENSO may also set the pace for slower decadal changes,

One new piece of information the long-term perspective gives us is that the temperature in the region over the last decade was warmer than during the past two centuries. There are not many records of actual ocean temperatures, so adding ocean measurements to the pool, that's one more piece of information that makes a strong case something unusual is going on.

Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.