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NASA Compares Two El Niño Events

Satellites measure the ocean’s height.

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Environment news editorial illustration for NASA Maps Compare This Year’s El Niño With 1997

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the in 1997 and 2026. in the and .

, so El Niño. do not that will the .

Source: NASA Earth Observatory, 2026-10-23.

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Try 2 questions about this story, then explain one idea in your own words. Check the text whenever you need to.

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Read and understand · 1/2Why can warmer water be higher?

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Water expands as it warms. The second paragraph explains expansion.

Clue: Warm water expands, so sea height helps scientists follow El Niño. Similar maps do not mean that every place will get the same weather.

Read and understand · 2/2Will similar maps mean the same weather everywhere?

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No, the weather can differ. The final sentence gives this limit.

Clue: Warm water expands, so sea height helps scientists follow El Niño. Similar maps do not mean that every place will get the same weather.

Your turn

Explain how a map can help without predicting everything.

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Sea height indicates ocean heat, but does not fix the weather in every region.

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