The El Niño Southern Oscillation and the salinity of land and water in the United States

The El Ni & ntilde;o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a periodic climate phenomenon with important consequences for weather and socioeconomic variables worldwide. This paper investigates the effect of El Ni & ntilde;o on the concentration of salts in soils and fresh water. Our analysis shows effects that are statistically significant and large in magnitude. In particular, in response to El Ni & ntilde;o events, soil salinity increases by 21% in the northern region of the United States, where average temperatures are positively affected, while it decreases by 29% on average in the southern tiers of the country, where temperatures decline. Similarly, fresh water salinity increases by 9% in warmer counties, while it is 53% lower in cooler counties.