--- title: "Scientists Detect Huge Structure Under Ocean Fueling the Deadly Upcoming El Niño" description: "Scientists have identified a massive Kelvin wave, the superwarm water structure fueling the coming super El Niño." date: "2026-05-21" modified: "2026-05-21" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/scientists-structure-ocean-el-nino" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" --- # Scientists Detect Huge Structure Under Ocean Fueling the Deadly Upcoming El Niño ![Close-up of water droplets splashing and rising with mist or steam in a warm, reddish-orange light. The image captures the dynamic motion and texture of the liquid and vapor.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* Scientists say they've pinpointed the super-warm undersea structure responsible for this year's El Niño weather pattern, which they fear will be one of the [worst warming events]() in recorded history. Called a Kelvin wave, scientists have identified a massive pool of warm water in the Pacific carrying temperatures up to 13.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average in similar parts of the ocean. As [the *Wall Street Journal* notes](), that's a major heat wave as far as the ocean is concerned, as deep water temperature patterns take much longer to shift than they would on land. Kelvin waves are fueled by abrupt changes in [wind force](), such as the [westerly bursts]() that push the superheated waters from the west Pacific to the east. That shift in wind forces a blob of warm water to stretch much farther into the Pacific than it might otherwise, creating the El Niño conditions that roil weather patterns around the world. That said, the magnitude of a Kelvin wave ahead of El Niño can tell us a lot about the warming period to come. "The current Kelvin wave is impressive and, by some measures we look at, it is rivaling the one we saw in 1997," Michelle L'Heureux, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center told the *WSJ*. That event precipitated one of six recorded "super El Niños," which happens when ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific rise a minimum of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the long-term average. The first super El Niño on record happened in 1877, a cataclysmic event which resulted in widespread droughts and famines that killed an estimated [50 million]() people across the world. The latest super El Niño, which lasted from 2015 to 2016, resulted in climate anomalies which [directly contributed to outbreaks]() of diseases like the Zika virus, cholera, hantavirus, chikungunya, and even the plague. How heavy-handed El Niño is this time around remains to be seen, but with [global ocean temperatures]() significantly higher than they were a decade ago, it's not going to be pretty. **More on extreme heat:** *[Heat Waves Are Getting So Brutal That They Just Kill You, Full Stop]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()