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Climate26 outlets ran this5 min read

Super El Niño drives record ocean temperatures and sea level rise in 2026

The 2023 to 2024 event caused a 7.70 mm rise in global mean sea level, mostly from land water reaching the ocean

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

What this story says

  • The 2023 to 2024 El Niño caused a 7.70 mm rise in global mean sea level, with 81% of the increase driven by water moving from land to the ocean, as reported by Phys.org.
  • Record ocean temperatures in July 2026 reached 20.96°C, surpassing the previous July high of 20.89°C, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service via IBTimes UK.
  • NOAA forecasts an 81% chance of a very strong El Niño from October to December 2026, with sea surface temperature anomalies exceeding 2.0°C, as Phys.org reported.
  • 350.org estimates 49 million people may face acute hunger due to the El Niño, while oil and gas companies earned $93 billion in Q2 profits, as published by Common Dreams.

Who covered it

Left 50%(4)Centre 37%(3)Right 13%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 8 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 18 of the 26 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

86/100

Craft

95/100

Hype

35/100

26 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 1 of the 8 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

The 2023 to 2024 El Niño event caused a 7.70 mm rise in global mean sea level, according to a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans and reported by Phys.org. The increase was driven primarily by barystatic sea level rise, which occurs when water moves from land and ice into the ocean. This accounted for 6.26 mm, or 81% of the total rise.

The 2023 to 2024 event followed a similar pattern to the 2014 to 2016 El Niño, which caused a 9.16 mm rise. However, the 2023 to 2024 rise occurred over a shorter period, resulting in a steeper rate of increase. Both events saw sea surface temperature anomalies in the Niño 3.4 region peak above 2.0°C. The Indian Ocean Dipole, a climate phenomenon that shifts sea surface temperatures, coincided with the 2023 to 2024 El Niño, amplifying its effects.

In July 2026, global average sea surface temperatures reached 20.96°C, breaking the previous July record of 20.89°C set in 2023, as reported by IBTimes UK citing the Copernicus Climate Change Service. NOAA forecasts an 81% chance of a very strong El Niño from October to December 2026, with sea surface temperature anomalies exceeding 2.0°C, according to Phys.org.

The humanitarian impact of the El Niño has been severe. 350.org reported that 49 million people may face acute hunger due to the event, as published by Common Dreams. The organisation also stated that oil and gas companies earned $93 billion in second-quarter profits. Drought conditions have affected agriculture in the Caribbean, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom, while East Africa faces both drought and the threat of severe flooding.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mentioned the 7.70 mm rise in global mean sea level during the 2023 to 2024 El Niño or the record ocean temperatures in July 2026. The centre-rated digests did not report the $93 billion in Q2 profits earned by oil and gas companies or the estimate that 49 million people may face acute hunger due to the El Niño.

7.70 mm

Rise in global mean sea level during 2023 to 2024 El Niño

81% driven by water moving from land to the ocean, as reported by Phys.org

“Our leaders’ response has to be swifter and stronger than El Niño. We already know that global heating is supercharging extreme weather damage, and the public wants polluters to pay for it.”

— Anne Jellema, Executive Director, 350.org
Tags:#ElNino#SeaLevelRise#ClimateChange#OceanTemperatures#HumanitarianImpact#FossilFuelProfits

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 12 Aug 2026, 17:15, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

4 rated outlets

  • The four left-rated digests and reports led on the humanitarian and economic consequences of the El Niño. Common Dreams and Truthout both highlighted the $93 billion in Q2 profits earned by oil and gas companies, as reported by 350.org. Common Dreams quoted 350.org’s Executive Director Anne Jellema, who said, “With Big Oil’s earnings skyrocketing while a global food crisis looms, now is the time to act.”
  • The Washington Post and IBTimes UK focused on record-breaking ocean temperatures. IBTimes UK reported the July 2026 sea surface temperature of 20.96°C, citing the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Common Dreams carried voices from affected regions, including Puerto Rico, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and East Africa, quoting local organisers on drought, water scarcity, and food price increases.

Centre

3 rated outlets

  • The three centre-rated digests and reports concentrated on the scientific and regional impacts of the El Niño. Phys.org’s full report detailed the mechanisms behind sea level rise during the 2014 to 2016 and 2023 to 2024 events, including the roles of barystatic and steric sea level changes. It also noted NOAA’s forecast for a very strong El Niño in late 2026.
  • The Christian Science Monitor and Fox 5 San Diego led on the immediate physical effects. The Christian Science Monitor reported the record ocean temperatures in July 2026, while Fox 5 San Diego focused on local preparations in San Diego for an incoming super El Niño storm system. None of the centre-rated digests mentioned the $93 billion in oil and gas profits or the 49 million people facing acute hunger.

Right

1 rated outlet

  • The single right-rated digest from Newsweek focused on the potential impact of the El Niño on Western drought conditions. It reported that the event may affect the Colorado River, snowpack across the West, and next year’s wildfire season. The digest did not mention the 7.70 mm sea level rise, the $93 billion in oil and gas profits, or the 49 million people at risk of acute hunger.

Read it at the source

26 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

4

Centre

3

Right

1

Not rated

18
Show 10 more

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Super El Niño drives record ocean temperatures and sea level rise in…?
Of the 8 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 37% are rated centre, 13% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 26. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Super El Niño drives record ocean temperatures and sea level rise in… left or right?
Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 8 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
Is the coverage of Super El Niño drives record ocean temperatures and sea level rise in… biased?
Super El Niño drives record ocean temperatures and sea level rise in 2026 is one event reported by 26 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Super El Niño drives record ocean temperatures and sea level rise in…?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Super El Niño drives record ocean temperatures and sea level rise in…?
26 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
How much did global mean sea level rise during the 2023 to 2024 El Niño?
Global mean sea level rose by 7.70 mm during the 2023 to 2024 El Niño, with 81% of the increase driven by water moving from land to the ocean. This was reported by Phys.org, citing a study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.
What were the record ocean temperatures in July 2026?
In July 2026, average sea surface temperatures reached 20.96°C, surpassing the previous July record of 20.89°C set in 2023. The figure was reported by IBTimes UK, citing data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
How many people may face acute hunger due to the El Niño?
350.org reported that 49 million people may face acute hunger due to the strong El Niño. The organisation also stated that oil and gas companies earned $93 billion in Q2 profits, as published by Common Dreams.
What is NOAA’s forecast for the 2026 El Niño?
NOAA forecasts an 81% chance of a very strong El Niño from October to December 2026, with sea surface temperature anomalies in the Niño 3.4 region exceeding 2.0°C. This was reported by Phys.org.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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How left, centre and right covered El Niño’s record ocean temperatures | MediaBias News