ENSO Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies: 2015-2016

The NOAA Coral Reef Watch program's satellite data provide current reef environmental conditions to quickly identify areas at risk for coral bleaching, where corals lose the symbiotic algae that give them their distinctive colors. If a coral is severely bleached, disease and partial mortality become likely, and the entire colony may die.The satellite data used to create these products includes the polar orbiters Suomi-NPP/VIIRS and MetOp-B/AVHRR, and the geostationary satellites MSG-3, MTSAT-2, GOES-East, and GOES-West. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) daily 5-km satellite Bleaching Alert Area product presented here outlines the areas where coral bleaching thermal stress currently reaches various bleaching stress levels, based on our satellite sea surface temperature (SST) monitoring. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) daily 5-km satellite coral bleaching Degree Heating Week (DHW) product presented here shows accumulated thermal stress, which can lead to coral bleaching and death. The scale goes from 0 to 20 °C-weeks. The DHW product accumulates the instantaneous bleaching thermal stress (measured by Coral Bleaching HotSpots) during the most-recent 12-week period. It is directly related to the timing and intensity of coral bleaching. Significant coral bleaching usually occurs when DHW values reach 4 °C-weeks. By the time DHW values reach 8 °C-weeks, widespread bleaching is likely and significant mortality can be expected. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) daily 5-km Coral Bleaching HotSpot product presented here measures occurrence and magnitude of instantaneous thermal stress, potentially resulting in coral bleaching. The scale goes from 0 to 5 °C. HotSpot values of 1 °C or more indicate thermal stress leading to coral bleaching and are highlighted in yellow to dark red/brown colors. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) daily 5-km Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Anomaly product displays the difference between today's SST and the long-term average. The scale goes from -5 to +5 °C. Positive numbers mean the temperature is warmer than average; negative means cooler than average. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) daily 5-km Sea Surface Temperature (SST) product shows the nighttime ocean temperature (at the surface) from the NOAA/NESDIS operational daily global 5-km geostationary-polar-orbiting (Geo-Polar) Blended Night-only SST Analysis. The SST scale ranges from -2 to 35 °C. For More InformationSee [http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov](http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov) Related pages

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).This animation illustrates the evolution of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (relative to the respective normal state) in the Pacific Ocean associated with the 2009-2010 El Niño, the warm phase ENSO. SST anomalies reflect the heat content in the mixed layer (upper 50 meters). Initial warming appeared in the eastern equatorial Pacific around May 2009 and grew into a moderate El Niño event by the end of the year. Animation of SSTA shows the evolution of the 2009-2010 ENSO. For More InformationSee [http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/NCDC-L4LRblend-GLOB-AVHRR_OI](http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/NCDC-L4LRblend-GLOB-AVHRR_OI) Related pages

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. The animation illustrates the evolution of sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) associated with the1998-1998 El Niño in the Pacific Ocean. Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly during the the 1997-1998 ENSO event. For More InformationSee [http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/NCDC-L4LRblend-GLOB-AVHRR_OI](http://podaac.jpl.nasa.gov/dataset/NCDC-L4LRblend-GLOB-AVHRR_OI) Related pages