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Ocean temperatures off the California coast are surging to shockingly high levels as a historic El Niño grows even stronger.
On Monday, a sea surface temperature of 74.5 degrees Fahrenheit was measured at the Scripps Pier in San Diego. It’s the highest temperature measured this late in the year at the pier in more than a century of records. Daily records are being set as far north as Point Reyes, with temperatures running as high as 9 degrees above normal in Monterey and Santa Barbara.
The unusual heat is drawing tropical fish coastward, killing kelp forests, pushing tides to record high heights and providing extra fuel for storms.
Here are things scientists are monitoring with the record heat.
Warm seas, high tides
A major reason for the record warmth is a coastally trapped Kelvin wave, a hallmark of El Niño.
This Kelvin wave originated at the equator this summer before reaching California earlier this month. Its energy pushed the thermocline — the transition zone between warm surface water and cold water below — hundreds of feet deeper. That makes winds, waves and currents less effective at mixing cooler, nutrient-rich water to the surface… (more)
Scientists predict: intense downpours and tornadoes, and effects of wildlife. A recent trip to ocean beach confirms the warmer water, a strong undercurrent higher than normal tides.