The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began releasing filtered wastewater from the site of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean on August 24, 12 years after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns in three of the plant’s reactors. Despite assurances from TEPCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the treated water being dischargedread more

Following an uncommonly-prolonged three-year La Niña, ocean surface temperatures have risen precipitously over the past two months, reaching record-breaking highs—and a warm El Niño period is forecast to begin sometime within the next few months. Satellite and Argo buoy data gathered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed thatread more