International Sea Level Satellite Observes El Niño Precursor

Key points

• 2 Min Read International Sea Level Satellite Observes El Niño Precursor PIA26710 Credits NASA/JPL-Caltech Photojournal Navigation Science Photojournal International Sea Level…
• Photojournal Home Photojournal Search Latest Content Galleries Feedback RSS About Downloads International Sea Level Satellite Observes El Niño Precursor MP4 (1.10 MB) Description Sea level height data from the international Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite collected from March to May 2026 show higher, warmer water moving from the western Pacific Ocean to just off the coast of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
• This phenomenon is known as a warm Kelvin wave, signified in this animation of the data by yellow, orange, red, and white.
• The emergence of Kelvin waves in the early part the year is a signal that an El Niño event is likely to follow.
• In early 2026, measurements from Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich showed a small Kelvin wave forming around Micronesia in late January and dissipating by mid-February.