For some time, the focus of much activity related
to ENSO has been the Niño 3 region, defined as 5°N–
5°S, 90°–150°W. This has been, for instance, the primary
predicted ENSO-related quantity by models
verified by observed data. The following is the working
definition used by the Japan Meteorological
Agency (JMA). It is an objective procedure and the
obtained El Niño periods are quite consistent with the
consensus of the ENSO research community.