Environment
Scripps Pier logs record late-season ocean heat
A 74.5-degree reading on October 19 was the warmest ever measured at the La Jolla research pier this late in the year, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The reading adds a new late-season marker to a marine heat wave that has persisted along the California coast. Scripps has collected sea-surface temperature and salinity readings at the pier since 1916.
Reading: 74.5°F
Date: October 19, 2026
Location: Scripps Pier, La Jolla
Heat reaches below the surface
Researchers told the Chronicle that a coastally trapped Kelvin wave associated with El Niño has pushed the boundary between warm surface water and colder deep water farther down. That limits the mixing of cool, nutrient-rich water toward the surface.
Scientists are watching effects that include kelp stress in Southern California, unusually high coastal water levels and warm-water species appearing farther north. NOAA Fisheries reported in September that dorado, striped marlin and yellowfin tuna had already extended their ranges along the West Coast during the marine heat wave.
Scripps said in August that federal forecasters saw a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño during fall and winter 2026–27. The institution maintains more than a century of observations at the pier, making the October reading notable for its timing even though it was below the pier’s all-season record.
Original reporting: San Francisco Chronicle — October 22, 2026 →
Official context: NOAA Fisheries — September 3, 2026 →
Research background: Scripps Institution of Oceanography — August 18, 2026 →