- Satellite data from NASA has revealed that vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean are changing from green to a clear, deep blue as a result of a powerful Super El Niño weather pattern.
- The colour shift is caused by the widespread die-off of microscopic marine plants called phytoplankton, which contain green chlorophyll and form the foundation of the marine ecosystem.
- Weakened trade winds during the El Niño event have blocked the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich deep water, effectively cutting off the vital nutrients required for phytoplankton to thrive.
- NOAA reports an 83 per cent chance that this is the strongest El Niño since 1950, with NASA's PACE satellite capturing real-time ocean colour maps of the equatorial Pacific transformation.
- Scientists warn that the sharp decline in phytoplankton threatens global marine food chains, forces sea life to relocate, and reduces the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
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