El Nino and anti-El Nino events in 1854-1987

Using the COADS data set of sea surface temperature in the Equatorial Eastern Pacific, thirty one El Nino events and twenty four anti-El Nino events were identified for the period from 1854 to 1987.The results were compared with those of the other authors.The El Nino events (or anti-El Nino events) are classified into two groups according to the timing of occrrence of the events:one starts at the first half of a year, another begins at the second half of a year.Both 1982-1983 and 1986-1987 events fall into the second group, which are characterized by the eastward migration of the positive anomaly of the sea surface temperature and the significant increasing of the anomaly in September or October.