El Nino Watch
sla_nino34, sla_nino12, sla_west_pacific, sla_south_china_sea, sla_gulf_thailand, sla_samui_coast.
Indices
Daily average satellite sea level in each box: Nino 3.4 (5S-5N, 170W-120W), Nino 1+2 off Peru, the western Pacific warm pool (5S-5N, 130E-160E), the South China Sea, the Gulf of Thailand and the sea just around Koh Samui.
Limits. Near-coast boxes (Samui, Gulf) are noisier: altimeters are less accurate near land.
cm above a 1993-2012 mean surface (includes ~8-10 cm of long-term rise). During a strong El Nino the eastern boxes run +20 to +40 cm and the western Pacific near or below zero.
Sea level rises in the east Pacific before the surface warming peaks, and a high Gulf of Thailand adds to coastal flooding at high tide and in storms.