Little rain, but El Niño brings deluge of data for local scientists

Still, the phenomenon did bring warmer than average ocean temperatures and some extremely high tides. And that was a big silver lining for scientists hoping to learn more about how climate change is expected to affect coastal areas in the future.

Over the past few months, researchers spent days surveying beaches, wetlands and tide pools to see how warmer, rising seas affect ecosystems and coastal communities.

“It’s incredibly useful for thinking about our future” said Sarah Giddings, a researcher with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.