1997-1998 El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (SSTA)

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a quasi-periodic fluctuation of ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. The temperatures generally fluctuate between two states: warmer than normal central and eastern equatorial Pacific (El Niño) and cooler than normal central and eastern equatorial Pacific (La Niña). The 1997-98 event was the first major El Niño that was observed extensively by satellites, including those that measured SST and sea surface height (SSH). These measurements are helpful to examine the evolution of an El Niño event.

A View from Above: Wastewater Diversion Plumes in Southern California (October, 2014)

The Hyperion Treatment Plant (HTP) and the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) are wastewater treatment facilities that discharge into the Southern California Bight. HTP and OCSD wastewater is diverted on occasion to shorter outfall pipes at shallower depths that increase risks to human health and water quality. Here the utility satellite data to detect such diversions is examined.

Unusual summertime warming off California Coast (September, 2014)

Recently an episode of intensified coastal warming off California has been detected in satellite sea surface temperature (SST) imagery along many portions of central-to-southern California and down to Baja California.  This is an ongoing and highly unusual event during a seasonal period that is typically associated with strong coastal upwelling of cool subsurface water that chills the coastal zone.  The magnitude of the warming, up to 4-5 ºC, has not been seen in recent years. Coastal upwelling is driven by equatorward alongshore winds that push warmer surface water offshore and draw cooler subsurface water up to the surface layer.  Upwelling along central-to-southern California (and Baja) during the spring-summer period provides a seasonal ecological environment beneficial to the marine ecosystems from phytoplankton to fisheries.

Data in Action: Unusual summertime warming off California Coast

Recently an episode of intensified coastal warming off California has been detected in satellite sea surface temperature (SST) imagery along many portions of central-to-southern California and down to Baja California.  This is an ongoing and highly unusual event during a seasonal period that is typically associated with strong coastal upwelling of cool subsurface water that chills the coastal zone.

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