New Delhi: An Indian satellite orbiting 741 km above earth has detected changes in the Pacific Ocean that could mean El Niño is getting stronger in the months ahead. ISRO’s EOS-06, which is also known as Oceansat-3, is tracking changes in the sea and atmosphere over the equatorial Pacific before their possible effects on rainfall and the Indian monsoon become visible.
SST-based systems usually need temperatures to stay higher for several weeks before an El Niño event can be officially confirmed. The satellite data suggest that El Niño is developing, a weather pattern that can influence temperatures, rainfall and storms across several parts of the world. Scientists expect the El Niño conditions to become stronger in the coming months. Its data show that biological activity has fallen in parts of the equatorial Pacific, with lower chlorophyll-a levels being one of the main signs. Chlorophyll data can provide another early signal while those temperature changes are developing. The satellite also carries a scatterometer that records changes in the direction and speed of winds over the ocean. These two instruments give scientists information about both the biological and physical changes caused by El Niño. ISRO scientists expect the low-chlorophyll area in the Pacific to become more visible in the coming months if forecasts of a stronger El Niño prove correct. By combining chlorophyll readings with wind data, scientists can get a near-real-time picture of how the Pacific Ocean is responding to El Niño conditions.
Data collected by EOS-06 are in line with forecasts from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). In June 2026, it said there was an 80 per cent chance of El Niño developing between June and August 2026. EOS-06 is giving scientists another way to track changes in the Pacific.
Some researchers have even used the term “Godzilla El Niño” for the possible strength of the event.
ISRO released the data and images today. Scientists say a fall in chlorophyll can provide an early indication of El Niño before changes in sea surface temperature (SST) become clear. These observations suggest that the world’s climate system is moving towards a powerful El Niño event that scientists fear could intensify in the months ahead. Some say the Godzilla El Nino is emerging and its true and worst impact is still to be felt. These tiny organisms form the foundation of the ocean food chain.
Because the ocean’s biological activity can respond to changes taking place below the surface, the chlorophyll readings are useful. Long before shifts in rainfall become apparent and before the full impact on the Indian monsoon is felt, ISRO’s EOS-06 satellite, better known as Oceansat-3 satellite, is detecting biological and atmospheric changes unfolding across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Earlier reporting noted: According to ISRO the observations from EOS-06/Oceansat-3 also complement the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) outlook. In its June 2026 El Niño/La Niña update, the WMO estimated an approximately 80% probability of El Niño conditions developing during June–August 2026, with several forecast models indicating the possibility of a strong event. By late July, the WMO reported that El Niño conditions were intensifying and were expected to strengthen during August–October 2026. Satellite observations from EOS-06/Oceansat-3 reveal a clear decline in marine productivity associated with the developing El Niño conditions across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Of June 2026 observations revealed a notable reduction in surface chlorophyll-a across parts of the tropical Pacific compared with the same period in 2024 and 2025 when El Nino Southern Oscillation or ENSO conditions were largely neutral, according to analysis by ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad. At the same time, EOS-06 detected a reversal of ocean surface winds from easterlies to westerlies, a classic sign associated with the development of El Niño conditions.
Earlier reporting noted: Title: ISRO Satellite Detects Clearest Sign yet of a Developing “Mother of All” El Niño events From a perch 741 kilometres above Earth, an Indian satellite is tracking what may be the best visible fingerprints of a strengthening El Niño.
Earlier reporting noted: The key signal being watched by scientists is a sharp decline in chlorophyll-a, a pigment found in microscopic marine plants known as phytoplankton.
