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Tech News
Climate scientists report that current El Niño conditions have already pushed sea levels in parts of the Pacific up by as much as 1.3 feet due to thermal expansion of warming ocean water. Researchers warn this effect is expected to intensify further as a result of lunar gravitational cycles influencing tides.
Hurricane Simon has pushed the 2026 Pacific hurricane season to new records for both overall storm activity and individual storm intensity, according to reports tracking the season. Forecasters note the season is not yet finished, meaning further storms could still develop.
Marshallese navigators built stick charts from coconut-frond midribs, shells and sennit fiber to represent ocean swell patterns and island locations across the Pacific. Each chart was so personal in design that typically only its maker could fully interpret and use it for canoe navigation. The practice declined after World War II amid new electronic navigation tools, reduced inter-island canoe travel, and disruption from US nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll.
Daily sea surface temperatures in the Tropical Pacific are running about six degrees Fahrenheit above normal, the highest level on record for this metric. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has raised its estimate that this year's El Niño will surpass the intensity of any event since 1950, from 75 percent to 83 percent, and some scientists believe it could grow stronger still. UNICEF has separately warned that hundreds of millions of children could be affected by the pattern's knock-on effects.
NOAA is forecasting a 100% chance of an extremely strong El Niño persisting through December, with over 80% odds it continues through February. The event has already set multiple daily heat records in the tropical Pacific, including a peak of 3.4 degrees Celsius above normal, and NOAA's three-month forecast projects heat could reach 2.7 degrees Celsius, potentially surpassing the previous record of 2.4 degrees Celsius set in 1982-1983.
Palisades Village, the Caruso-owned outdoor shopping center in Pacific Palisades, has reopened following an 18-month cleanup to remove smoke damage, having largely survived the January 2025 wildfires that destroyed more than 6,800 structures in the area. The mall sustained only minor damage, such as singed awnings and damaged patio cushions, while the surrounding neighborhood remains in various stages of rebuilding.
Current El Nino conditions have pushed the Pacific temperature anomaly to 3.05C above the 1991-2020 average, surpassing the previous record of 3.02C set in 2015, according to NOAA data. The ONI metric, which uses a rolling 30-year baseline, is within 0.01C of its own 2015 record, and forecasters cited by The Guardian project the event could peak near 4.0C by November or December.
A powerful September nor'easter struck the U.S. Eastern Seaboard over the weekend, bringing heavy rain, damaging winds and coastal flooding from Maine to North Carolina, with rain persisting into Monday in New England. Forecasters are linking the unusual storm pattern to a developing 2026 Super El Niño event affecting both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Amazon has published a job listing for a Head of Regulatory Approvals, Australia, tasked with navigating the country's aviation rules to gain the approvals needed for Prime Air drone deliveries. The role reports to a newly named Leader, Prime Air Expansion – Asia Pacific, and its success will be judged by approvals secured, timelines met, and eventual deliveries to Australian customers.
The Atlantic has recorded six named storms this season but none have strengthened into hurricanes, an unusual outcome not seen in decades. Meanwhile, the Central and Eastern Pacific have produced 16 named storms during the same period, a notably active stretch.
CNN sources report that the US military almost intercepted a Chinese vessel in the Middle East this spring after an analyst used an AI chatbot to assess intelligence, which falsely claimed the ship carried nuclear weapons materials. Armed personnel and aircraft were already mobilizing before officials realized the report was based on a fabricated chatbot response and stood down.
Private fusion companies raised $3.8 billion in the first eight months of this year, already surpassing all of last year's investment, as firms like Pacific Fusion and Helion Energy push toward commercial electricity targets. Despite this funding surge and scientific milestones like the National Ignition Facility's 2022 net energy gain experiment, no company has yet demonstrated a system that produces more electricity than it consumes on a sustained, grid-ready basis.