Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The developing El Nino in the tropical Pacific Ocean is on track to become the strongest ever experienced by modern humans, with scientists warning that the climate phenomenon could peak by November-December and push global temperatures to unprecedented levels.
Climate experts tracking ocean temperatures say sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Pacific have already reached “Super El Nino” status. However, what concerns researchers even more is the enormous reservoir of heat still lurking beneath the ocean surface, waiting to emerge in the coming months.
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According to current projections, the subsurface heat content in the tropical Pacific is already exceeding levels recorded during the powerful El Nino events of 1982-83, 1997-98, and 2015-16, three of the strongest episodes in modern climate records.
“This event is breaking records across multiple indicators, including the pace of warming, projected peak intensity, and the volume of stored ocean heat,” climate analysts Colin McCarthy said.
The phenomenon occurs when unusually warm waters spread across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, disrupting atmospheric circulation patterns worldwide. These changes can influence rainfall, droughts, floods, heatwaves and tropical cyclone activity across several continents.
Scientists now expect the El Nino to strengthen further through the second half of the year, potentially reaching its maximum intensity around November and December. If forecasts hold, it could surpass previous benchmark events by a significant margin.
The implications extend far beyond the Pacific.
Combined with long-term human-driven climate change, the powerful El Nino could temporarily push global average temperatures close to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels during early 2027. Such temperatures would place the planet in climate territory not seen for hundreds of thousands of years, according to researchers.
Meteorologists warn that the next 12 to 18 months could witness an increase in extreme weather events worldwide. These may include more intense heatwaves, shifts in monsoon patterns, severe droughts in some regions, and enhanced flood risks in others.
While scientists caution that exact regional impacts remain uncertain, the broad signal is clear: the world is entering a period of heightened climate volatility.
With ocean temperatures continuing to rise and vast amounts of heat yet to surface, experts say the coming months could provide one of the most dramatic tests of Earth’s climate system in recorded history.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
