Several climate models predict that this year’s El Niño could be the strongest one on record. This map, produced from NASA’s Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, measures sea level changes across the Pacific Ocean, showing higher waves and warmer waters. The yellow, orange, and red indicate areas of higher-than-average sea levels, while blue areas indicate lower-than-average sea levels.
Along the equatorial Pacific Ocean corridor, moving eastward towards the South American coast, a height difference in the waves was measured, indicating warmer water expanding and raising the ocean’s surface levels. This swell of warmer water is called a Kelvin Wave, and they often precede El Niño climate events. These changes raise concerns for scientists and forecasters about what a potential ‘Super El Niño’ event could mean this year for global temperatures and extreme weather in vulnerable regions…
Source: UBIQUE by American Geographical Society – By Lauren Johnson
UBIQUE by American Geographical Society - Map of The Week
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