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Khabre desk
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the El Niño desk.
science
Sea-surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific were about 2.9°C above the current climate baseline in early September, and forecasts give the event more than a 90% chance of surpassing every El Niño recorded since the 1870s. The expected effects vary by region but include drought, crop losses, peatland fires, floods and coral bleaching.
science
A strengthening El Niño has already disrupted Peru’s anchovy fishery and contributed to drought, flooding and crop losses across several regions. Forecasts suggest this eastern Pacific event could become unusually intense as it combines with ongoing global warming.
science
NASA and European partners are using the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and Sentinel-6B satellites to measure sea level, waves and atmospheric conditions during El Niño. The observations are being prepared for hurricane forecasting models that estimate how quickly storms may intensify.
science
NASA says Sentinel-6B and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich are measuring ocean height, waves, marine winds and atmospheric properties during El Niño. The observations are intended to improve understanding of storm-fuelling ocean conditions and support hurricane-intensity forecasting, although a quantified forecasting improvement has not yet been reported.