[Correspondence] Enhancing preparedness for the impending super El Niño

AI Summary

Predictions indicate the upcoming El Niño could reach unprecedented sea surface temperatures up to +3.9°C, surpassing the 2015–16 event. This natural phenomenon, intensified by human-induced climate change, is expected to produce more extreme global environmental impacts.

Peak predictions of the emerging El Niño event suggest that it could reach a maximum monthly sea surface temperature anomaly of +3·9°C (median forecast),1 substantially surpassing the highest recorded magnitude of +2·75°C set by the 2015–16 El Niño.2 El Niño is a natural phenomenon, occurring every 2–7 years as part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle, but it is happening against a background of human-induced climate change, which could result in more extreme global impacts over time.