July 6, 2026 — A developing El Niño in the tropical Pacific is expected to strengthen later this year, adding to already unusually warm ocean waters off the West Coast and raising concerns for marine ecosystems still recovering from recent heat stress.
Scientists say the combined effects of a lingering marine heatwave and a strengthening El Niño could disrupt food supplies for key species in the California Current, even as coastal upwelling may offer some localized relief.
The overlap of two warming patterns — one regional and one climate-scale — could compound stress on marine food webs that have already been repeatedly disrupted over the past decade.