El Niño, characterized by warmer-than-normal water temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific, made its return in June 2026. Observations of sea surface height from the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite that month indicated that the 2026 event was continuing to strengthen.
厄尔尼诺现象的特点是赤道太平洋部分地区水温高于正常水平，该现象于 2026 年 6 月卷土重来。当月 Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich 卫星对海面高度的观测表明，2026 年的厄尔尼诺现象正在继续加强。
The natural, recurring phenomenon can have widespread effects, typically bringing wetter conditions to the U.S. Southwest and drought to countries in the western Pacific, such as Indonesia and Australia. NOAA declared an El Niño on June 11, after sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific measured at least 0.5 degrees Celsius above average for several consecutive months.
这种反复出现的自然现象可能会产生广泛的影响，通常会给美国西南部带来潮湿的天气，并给印度尼西亚和澳大利亚等西太平洋国家带来干旱。美国国家海洋和大气管理局 (NOAA) 于 6 月 11 日宣布出现厄尔尼诺现象，此前赤道太平洋中部和东部的海面温度连续几个月比平均水平高出至少 0.5 摄氏度。
Meanwhile, NASA scientists have been observing a complementary sign of El Niño: areas of elevated sea surface height. When ocean water warms, it expands in volume and causes the sea surface to rise—making the water’s height a reliable indicator of ocean temperatures. Warmer-than-normal temperatures, hence higher sea surface heights, in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean are associated with El Niño.
与此同时，美国宇航局科学家一直在观察厄尔尼诺现象的一个补充迹象：海面高度升高的区域。当海水变暖时，其体积会膨胀并导致海面上升，从而使水的高度成为海洋温度的可靠指标。赤道太平洋部分地区的气温高于正常水平，因此海面高度较高，与厄尔尼诺现象有关。
The map above depicts sea surface height anomalies across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean as observed on June 8, 2026. Shades of red indicate sea levels that were higher than average. Normal sea level conditions appear white, and lower areas are blue.
上面的地图描绘了 2026 年 6 月 8 日观测到的太平洋中部和东部的海面高度异常。红色阴影表示海平面高于平均水平。正常海平面条件显示为白色，较低区域显示为蓝色。
Data for the map were acquired by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite—launched in 2020 by NASA and led by ESA (European Space Agency)—and processed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Note that signals related to seasonal cycles and long-term trends have been removed to highlight sea level anomalies associated with El Niño and other short-term natural phenomena.
该地图的数据是由 NASA 于 2020 年发射、欧洲航天局 (ESA) 领导的 Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich 卫星获取的，并由 NASA 喷气推进实验室 (JPL) 的科学家进行处理。请注意，与季节周期和长期趋势相关的信号已被删除，以突出与厄尔尼诺现象和其他短期自然现象相关的海平面异常。
Earlier in spring 2026, the satellite started to detect precursor signs of El Niño as swells of warm water hundreds of miles wide, known as Kelvin waves, moved from the western Pacific to the eastern Pacific. That happens when trade winds in the western equatorial Pacific weaken and then temporarily reverse to blow from the west. Warm water piles up in the east, deepening the warm surface layer, lowering the thermocline , and suppressing the upwelling that usually keeps waters along the Pacific coasts of the Americas cooler.
2026 年春季早些时候，卫星开始探测厄尔尼诺现象的前兆，当时数百英里宽的温水涌流（称为开尔文波）从西太平洋移动到东太平洋。当赤道西太平洋的信风减弱，然后暂时逆转为从西面吹来时，就会发生这种情况。温暖的海水在东部堆积，加深了温暖的表层，降低了温跃层，并抑制了通常使美洲太平洋沿岸水域保持凉爽的上升流。
This buildup of heat beneath the water’s surface is what sea surface height observations capture. It goes beyond surface temperature measurements to indicate how much heat is stored in the subsurface. That’s important because a shallow warm layer might not have much impact on climate and weather, while a large reservoir of heat below the surface can matter more.
海面高度观测捕捉到了水面下热量的积聚。它超出了地表温度测量的范围，可以指示地下储存了多少热量。这很重要，因为浅层温暖层可能不会对气候和天气产生太大影响，而地表以下的大量热量可能更重要。
According to JPL sea level researcher Severine Fournier, deputy project scientist for Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, conditions in the western Pacific on June 8 looked similar to those from the same time in 1997, a year when an exceptionally strong El Niño emerged. Warm conditions in the eastern Pacific in 2026 have lagged behind, however, with fewer Kelvin waves built up by the same date.
据喷气推进实验室海平面研究员 Severine Fournier（Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich）副项目科学家 Severine Fournier 称，6 月 8 日西太平洋的情况看起来与 1997 年同期的情况相似，那一年出现了异常强烈的厄尔尼诺现象。然而，2026 年东太平洋的温暖状况已经滞后，同一日期形成的开尔文波较少。
Still, more warm Kelvin waves appeared to be approaching the eastern Pacific, meaning El Niño was still strengthening. Whether it catches up to 1997 depends on ocean activity in the coming weeks. “For now, it looks like it’s going to be a big one—more so than I would have said last week—but we still need more observations to know what’s going to happen.”
尽管如此，更多温暖的开尔文波似乎正在接近东太平洋，这意味着厄尔尼诺现象仍在加强。能否赶上 1997 年取决于未来几周的海洋活动。 “目前看来，这将是一件大事——比我上周所说的还要严重——但我们仍然需要更多的观察来知道会发生什么。”
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2023) processed by the European Space Agency and further processed by Josh Willis, Severin Fournier, and Kevin Marlis/NASA/JPL-Caltech. Story by Kathryn Hansen.
NASA 地球观测站图像，由 Lauren Dauphin 拍摄，使用由欧洲航天局处理的修改后的哥白尼哨兵数据 (2023)，并由 Josh Willis、Severin Fournier 和 Kevin Marlis/NASA/JPL-Caltech 进一步处理。凯瑟琳·汉森的故事。