El Nino Sea Temperatures May Reach Record by Year End
- Sea temperatures may top values seen in record 1997-98 event
- El Nino to rapidly weaken heading into 2016 Australian autumn
This article is for subscribers only.
El Nino will peak around the end of the year as warming sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean may exceed those seen during the record event almost two decades ago.
Recent oceanic and atmospheric indicators are at levels not seen since the 1997-98 El Nino, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said in a fortnightly update on its website. Sea surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific are set to rise further in coming months and come close to, or possibly exceed, monthly values observed during 1997-98, it said.