A ‘Healthy’ Pacific El Niño: Impacts, Research, and Forecasts for 2026
El Niño and La Niña are opposing phases of the Southern Oscillation (ENSO), one of the most powerful drivers of interannual climate variability. These are naturally occurring climate phenomena characterized by increased sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. El Niño events typically occur every 2 to 7 years and last for 9 to 12 months. They often begin to form between March and June, reach their peak intensity between November and February, and have the strongest impact on global temperatures for the year following their onset.
Research mission discovers five new hydrothermal vents in highly volcanic region of eastern Pacific Ocean
Researchers have learned that the site responsible for more than 75 percent of the world’s volcanic activity is more active than previously thought as they recently discovered five new hydrothermal vents, each spewing fluids hotter than 570°F.
Oceanographers have explored the area around the Nazca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean and discovered a huge underwater mountain
Oceanographers led by the Schmidt Ocean Institute exploring the depths of the Pacific Ocean discovered a huge seamount in September 2024. The 3,109-meter-high seamount is a major find. It is one of many discoveries made during a 28-day survey in late summer by oceanographers on the research vessel Falkor. But satellites are no less important in exploring the ocean depths — satellites are mapping the Earth’s ocean floor in unprecedented detail.
The world is seeing a sharp drop in fresh water levels and rising sea levels
The Earth’s sea levels are rising, damaging the livelihoods and infrastructure of coastal communities around the world. Agencies and organizations are working to prepare people for the changing world around them. An international team of scientists, using observations from NASA-German satellites, has found evidence that the total amount of fresh water on Earth has dropped sharply since May 2014 and has remained low since then.
NASA Analysis Shows Irreversible Sea Level Rise in Pacific Islands
NASA analysis shows irreversible sea level rise in Pacific islands as climate change rapidly changes a region of the world home to millions of people. Over the next 30 years, Pacific island nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and Fiji will see sea levels rise by at least 6 inches (15 centimeters), according to an analysis by NASA’s Sea Level Change Science Group. That level of rise would occur regardless of whether greenhouse gas emissions change in the coming years.
New natural sources of greenhouse gases and associated climate control technologies
Layers of methane are locked under permafrost in Arctic regions, but if they were released it could cause problems for the rest of the world. Researchers also discovered intense methane emissions deep in the Baltic Sea. Methane can be a real problem for the environment. The greenhouse gas, made up of carbon and hydrogen and about 80 percent more potent than carbon dioxide, occurs naturally in sedimentary layers of the seafloor and is responsible for about 30 percent of global temperature rise.
The oldest forests on Earth are over 32 million years old
Kelp forests arose on the floor of the Pacific Ocean at least 32 million years ago, not 14-15 million years ago as previously thought. This calls into question the prevailing ideas about the evolution of their inhabitants, the press service of the University of California at Berkeley reported. Researchers have found that these important oceanic ecosystems appeared in the Pacific Ocean at the beginning of the Oligocene era, over 32 million years ago. The largest kelp forests are found in cold seas (Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, Nordic Seas), but in 2007 kelp forests were also discovered in tropical waters near Ecuador.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Has Its Own Flora and Fauna
Scientists have discovered more than 40 species of animals living in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of man-made debris in the North Pacific Ocean. In size it is more than 900 thousand square meters. km.
Highest rogue wave in history recorded
The highest rogue wave in history was recorded in the North Pacific Ocean. It received its own name – “Ucluele” and was recorded by a buoy of the MarineLabs project. Scientists believe wave heights in the North Pacific will only increase with climate change.