El Niño 2026: Ocean Apparent Visible Wavelength (2025 vs. 2026) – Updated Daily

  • Released Tuesday, October 27, 2026
View full credits

This visualization compares apparent visible wavelength (AVW) over the same months in 2025 and 2026. Bluer ocean colors generally indicate areas with less phytoplankton, while greener and yellower colors suggest higher concentrations. Reduced phytoplankton in the tropical Pacific can be associated with developing El Niño conditions.

The visualization is automatically updated as new satellite data becomes available, providing an ongoing comparison of ocean conditions in 2025 and 2026.

Still image showing the latest available apparent visible wavelength (AVW) data for 2025 and 2026, displayed side by side on two Pacific Ocean globes. Ocean colors range from blue, indicating lower phytoplankton concentrations, to green and yellow, indicating higher concentrations. The image is automatically updated as new satellite data becomes available, providing an ongoing comparison of ocean conditions between the two years.

Still image - This image shows the latest available data from a visualization comparing apparent visible wavelength (AVW) in 2025 and 2026. Bluer ocean colors generally indicate areas with less phytoplankton, while greener and yellower colors suggest higher concentrations. Reduced phytoplankton in the tropical Pacific can be associated with developing El Niño conditions.

The visualization is automatically updated as new satellite data becomes available, providing an ongoing comparison of ocean conditions in 2025 and 2026.

Credits

Missions

This page is related to the following missions:

Series

This page can be found in the following series:

This page was originally published on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 2:10 PM EDT.