The coastal flooding and beach erosion that hit Southern California this week were an ominous sign of what could lie ahead as El Niño conditions are already breaking records, a top expert warns.
Dr. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, said the damage from Hurricane Marie in Southern California was indirectly affected by El Niño, the warming of waters along the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
“It wasn’t just the waves themselves; it was the fact that these waves are now operating on top of ocean levels that are six to 12 inches higher than usual,” Swain explained during a virtual press conference Thursday. “That is due to a combination of the pre-existing marine heat wave, plus additional thermal expansion of that ocean water from El Niño.”
El Niño already setting records
As Swain explained, water temperatures along the equatorial Pacific are the highest ever recorded for this time of year by a considerable margin…