{"id":640564,"date":"2024-04-03T11:20:09","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T15:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=640564"},"modified":"2024-04-03T11:20:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T15:20:10","slug":"how-nasa-spotted-el-nino-changing-the-saltiness-of-coastal-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/oceans\/how-nasa-spotted-el-nino-changing-the-saltiness-of-coastal-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"How NASA Spotted El Ni\u00f1o Changing the Saltiness of Coastal Waters"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?w=1200\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"A satellite image from December 2023 showing a large, sediment-rich plume from the Mississippi River spreading down the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas following winter rains.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?resize=900,600 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Rivers can flush rainwater over hundreds of miles to the sea, changing the makeup of coastal waters in ways that scientists are still discovering. In this satellite image from December 2023, a large, sediment-rich plume from the Mississippi River spreads down the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas following winter rains.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/OB.DAAC<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>New findings have revealed a coastal realm highly sensitive to changes in runoff and rainfall on land.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After helping stoke record heat in 2023 and drenching major swaths of the United States this winter, the current El Ni\u00f1o is losing steam this spring. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2023GL106684\" rel=\"noopener\">Scientists have observed<\/a> another way that the climate phenomenon can leave its mark on the planet: altering the chemistry of coastal waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A team at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used satellite observations to track the dissolved salt content, or <a href=\"https:\/\/salinity.oceansciences.org\/overview.htm\" rel=\"noopener\">salinity<\/a>, of the global ocean surface for a decade, from 2011 to 2022. At the sea surface, salinity patterns can tell us a lot about how freshwater falls, flows, and evaporates between the land, ocean, and atmosphere \u2013 a process known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/gpm.nasa.gov\/education\/water-cycle\" rel=\"noopener\">water cycle<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The JPL team showed that year-to-year-variations in salinity near coastlines strongly correlate with El Ni\u00f1o Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the collective term for El Ni\u00f1o and its counterpart, La Ni\u00f1a. ENSO affects weather around the world <a href=\"https:\/\/earthobservatory.nasa.gov\/world-of-change\/ENSO\" rel=\"noopener\">in contrasting ways<\/a>. El Ni\u00f1o, linked to warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, can lead to more rain and snowfall than normal in the southwestern U.S., as well as drought in Indonesia. These patterns are somewhat reversed during La Ni\u00f1a.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the exceptional El Ni\u00f1o event of 2015, for example, the scientists traced a particularly distinct global water cycle effect: Less precipitation over land led to a decrease in river discharge on average, which in turn led to notably higher salinity levels in areas as far as 125 miles (200 kilometers) from shore.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-image-carousel grid-container grid-container-block padding-top-8 padding-bottom-8 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-image-carousel\">\t\t<div class=\"hds-carousel-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-carousel-slider margin-0\" id=\"image-carousel-slider\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-block width-full\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"margin-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper hds-image-carousel-slide margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?w=1024\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"A map shows how monsoon rains and freshwater flowing into the Bay of Bengal keep it far less salty than the Arabian Sea to the west. (Areas of low and high salinity are shown in blue and yellow, respectively.)\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg 5760w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=2048,1152 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=400,225 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=900,506 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1a-bengal-labeled.jpeg?resize=2000,1125 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Instruments in space can track how salinity varies by region and season. Using NASA satellite data, this map shows how monsoon rains and freshwater flowing into the Bay of Bengal keep it far less salty than the Arabian Sea to the west. (Areas of low and high salinity are shown in blue and yellow, respectively.)<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-block width-full\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"margin-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper hds-image-carousel-slide margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?w=1024\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"A plume of low salinity water is shown here in dark blue, drifting away from the river mouth on ocean currents. The blue blob to the northwest is the Orinoco River plume.\" style=\"transform: scale(1.02); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg 5760w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=2048,1152 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=400,225 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=900,506 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/e1b-amazon-plume-labeled.jpeg?resize=2000,1125 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The Amazon River delivers millions of gallons of water to the ocean every second \u2013 enough to change global average surface salinity. A plume of low salinity water is shown here in dark blue, drifting away from the river mouth on ocean currents. The blue blob to the northwest is the Orinoco River plume.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-carousel-nav display-flex margin-left-auto margin-right-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"hds-carousel-nav-arrow hds-carousel-arrow-prev\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"9px\" height=\"9px\" viewBox=\"0 0 9 9\"><path class=\"st0\" d=\"M3.5,4.5l3.7-3.6L6.3,0L1.8,4.5L6.3,9l0.9-0.9L3.5,4.5z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"hds-carousel-nav-arrow hds-carousel-arrow-next margin-right-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"9px\" height=\"9px\" viewBox=\"0 0 9 9\"><path class=\"st0\" d=\"M5.5,4.5L1.8,8.1L2.7,9l4.5-4.5L2.7,0L1.8,0.9L5.5,4.5z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n<p>At other times, the opposite was found: Areas with higher-than-normal rainfall over land saw increased river discharge, reducing salinity near those coasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re able to show coastal salinity responding to ENSO on a global scale,\u201d said lead author Severine Fournier, an ocean physicist at JPL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team found that salinity is at least 30 times more variable in these dynamic zones near coasts than in the open ocean. The link between rain, rivers, and salt is especially pronounced at the mouths of large river systems such as the Mississippi and Amazon, where freshwater plumes can be mapped from space as they gush into the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Salt as Signal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With global warming, researchers have been observing changes in the water cycle, including increases in extreme precipitation events and runoff. At the intersection of land and sea, coastal waters may be where the impacts are most detectable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGiven the sensitivity to rainfall and runoff, coastal salinity could serve as a kind of bellwether, indicating other changes unfolding in the water cycle,\u201d Fournier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She noted that some of the world\u2019s coastal waters are not well studied, despite the fact that about 40% of the human population lives within about 60 miles (100 kilometers) of a coastline. One reason is that river gauges and other on-sitemonitors can be costly to maintain and cannot provide coverage of the whole planet, especially in more remote regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s where satellite instruments come in. Launched in 2011, the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/aquarius\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Aquarius<\/a> mission made some of the first space-based global observations of sea surface salinity using extremely sensitive radiometers to detect subtle changes in the ocean\u2019s microwave radiation emissions. Aquarius was a collaboration between NASA and Argentina\u2019s space agency, CONAE (Comisi\u00f3n Nacional de Actividades Espaciales).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, two higher-resolution tools \u2013 the ESA (European Space Agency) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Applications\/Observing_the_Earth\/FutureEO\/SMOS\" rel=\"noopener\">SMOS<\/a>) mission and NASA\u2019s Soil Moisture Active Passive (<a href=\"https:\/\/smap.jpl.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">SMAP<\/a>) mission \u2013 allow scientists to zoom to within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of coastlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using data from all three missions, the researchers found that surface salinity in coastal waters reached a maximum global average (34.50 <a href=\"https:\/\/podaac.jpl.nasa.gov\/SeaSurfaceSalinity\" rel=\"noopener\">practical salinity units<\/a>, or PSU) each March and fell to a minimum global average (34.34 PSU) around September. (PSU is roughly equal to parts per thousand grams of water.) River discharge, especially from the Amazon, drives this timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the open ocean, the cycle is different, with surface salinity reaching a global average minimum (34.95 PSU) from February to April and a global average maximum (34.97 PSU) from July to October. The open ocean does not show as much variability between seasons or years because it contains a significantly larger volume of water and is less sensitive to river discharge and ENSO. Instead, changes are governed by planet-scale precipitation minus total global evaporation, plus other factors like large-scale ocean circulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1029\/2023GL106684\" rel=\"noopener\">The study<\/a> was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-center nasa-button-link padding-y-1 padding-x-0 hds-module wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasa-analysis-sees-spike-in-2023-global-sea-level-due-to-el-nino\" target=\"_self\" class=\"button-primary button-primary-md link-external-true\" aria-label=\"NASA Analysis Sees Spike in 2023 Global Sea Level Due to El Ni\u00f1o\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t<span class=\"line-height-alt-1\">NASA Analysis Sees Spike in 2023 Global Sea Level Due to El Ni\u00f1o<\/span>\n\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"button-primary-circle\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-center nasa-button-link padding-y-1 padding-x-0 hds-module wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasa-analysis-finds-strong-el-nino-could-bring-extra-floods-this-winter\" target=\"_self\" class=\"button-primary button-primary-md link-external-true\" aria-label=\"NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Ni\u00f1o Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t<span class=\"line-height-alt-1\">NASA Analysis Finds Strong El Ni\u00f1o Could Bring Extra Floods This Winter<\/span>\n\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"button-primary-circle\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>News Media Contacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Jane J. Lee \/ Andrew Wang<br>Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br>818-354-0307 \/ 626-379-6874<br><a href=\"mailto:jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov\">jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov\">andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Written by Sally Younger<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2024-035<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div 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class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Apr 03, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2\"><h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2><\/div><ul class=\"article-tags\"><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/ocean-worlds\/\">Oceans<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/climate-change\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Climate Change<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/earth\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Earth<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/jpl\/\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/water-on-earth\/\">Water on Earth<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\t\t<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\"><h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/nasa-led-mission-to-map-air-pollution-over-both-u-s-coasts\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg 4246w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=768,401 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1024,535 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1536,802 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2048,1070 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=400,209 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=600,313 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=900,470 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1200,627 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2000,1045 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">2 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16 hours ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/voyager-program\/voyager-1\/voyager-1-returning-science-data-from-all-four-instruments\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/voyager-7-copy-ac.jpg\" ><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">2 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Voyager 1 Returning Science Data From All Four Instruments<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">The spacecraft has resumed gathering information about interstellar space. NASA\u2019s Voyager 1 spacecraft is conducting…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 day ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/earth\/natural-disasters\/nasa-announces-new-system-to-aid-disaster-response\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/prturkiyeeq-020624a.jpg\" ><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">4 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA Announces New System to Aid Disaster Response<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">In early May, widespread flooding and landslides occurred in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New findings have revealed a coastal realm highly sensitive to changes in runoff and rainfall on land. After helping stoke record heat in 2023 and drenching major swaths of the United States this winter, the current El Ni\u00f1o is losing steam this spring. Scientists have observed another way that the climate phenomenon can leave its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":640565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11356,9423,3228,2860,12211],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[8605],"coauthors":[12651],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How NASA Spotted El Ni\u00f1o Changing the Saltiness of Coastal Waters","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/oceans\/how-nasa-spotted-el-nino-changing-the-saltiness-of-coastal-waters\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/oceans\/how-nasa-spotted-el-nino-changing-the-saltiness-of-coastal-waters\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png"},"articleSection":"Earth","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jet Propulsion Laboratory"}],"creator":["Jet Propulsion Laboratory"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Earth","Water on Earth","Oceans","Climate Change","Jet Propulsion Laboratory"],"dateCreated":"2024-04-03T15:20:09Z","datePublished":"2024-04-03T15:20:09Z","dateModified":"2024-04-03T15:20:10Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"How NASA Spotted El Ni\u00f1o Changing the Saltiness of Coastal Waters\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/oceans\/how-nasa-spotted-el-nino-changing-the-saltiness-of-coastal-waters\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2024-04-03T15:20:09Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Earth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Earth,Water on Earth,Oceans,Climate Change,Jet Propulsion Laboratory\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Jet Propulsion Laboratory\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"2 months","featured_image":{"id":640565,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/1-coastal-waters.png","title":"1-coastal-waters","alt":"A satellite image from December 2023 showing a large, sediment-rich plume from the Mississippi River spreading down the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas following winter rains.","caption":"Rivers can flush rainwater over hundreds of miles to the sea, changing the makeup of coastal waters in ways that scientists are still discovering. In this satellite image from December 2023, a large, sediment-rich plume from the Mississippi River spreads down the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas following winter rains."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640564"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640564"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":640748,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640564\/revisions\/640748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640564"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=640564"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=640564"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=640564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}