Terence J. O'Kane

In the hall, fifty sages confer, each observing the ocean in their own way. One listens to surface temperature, another to the wind, a third to how heat hides in the depths. Their judgments often contradict each other, but there is an elder who knows which of them to trust more.

Science is a vast kitchen where scientist-cooks seek new recipes. Once, they sifted ingredients by hand; now artificial intelligence, a seasoned chef, lends a hand. AI memorizes millions of flavors and suggests surprising pairings: through information search, the algorithm uncovers hidden patterns.

Thousands of models simmer in a single cauldron, and the steam rises thick and impenetrable. Each whispers something about the future of El Niño, but in the general din you cannot tell who is right and who is just boiling over.