Near-record inventories, technological advances and the rise of key exporters such as Brazil and Russia have made the global food system more resilient to this year's "super" El Niño than similar past events. The outlook could worsen, as an already strong El Niño will intensify in the fourth quarter and early next year, said Chris Hyde, a U.S.-based meteorologist at satellite data and imagery firm SkyFi. ADVERTISEMENTA warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific, the El Niño weather phenomenon typically brings dryness to much of Asia and boosts rainfall across the Americas. In 1997-98 and 2015-16, severe El Niño episodes slashed production of key crops, fuelling food shortages, inflation and sapping economic growth. The Strait of Hormuz carried about a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before it was blockaded during the Iran war that began in February, disrupting global fuel and fertiliser supplies.