Prolonged El Nino may hurt marine ecosystem: INCOIS

The current El Niño conditions are likely to remain dominant until at least April 2027, with probabilities ranging between 80% and 100% and could adversely affect the marine ecosystem, according to scientists at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) on Monday.

El Niño refers to the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and represents the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Such conditions are known to weaken the Indian summer monsoon, often affecting rainfall patterns and, in turn, the country’s agriculture and economy.

Beyond its influence on rainfall, El Niño can trigger stronger and longer-lasting marine heatwaves across the northern Indian Ocean that can disrupt marine ecosystems, damage coral reefs and impact fisheries. In contrast, La Niña, characterised by unusually cool waters in the equatorial Pacific, generally supports stronger monsoon conditions over India.