NASA scientists are fascinated by the upcoming El Nino phenomenon like never before, and they are expecting to see climate change like never before.

That’s because this El Nino system is strong — really strong, and it could be on par with the 1997-98 El Nino event, currently the strongest on record, according to Science World Report.

NASA researchers are using all the tools at their disposal to study the mechanics of El Nino and what impacts it will have on the world’ climate.

El Nino happens every two to seven years when a warm section of water develops in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It is a powerful, wide-reaching phenomenon that can even influence how many hurricanes there will be in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It has also been linked to fires in Indonesia due to circulation patterns, and rains in the United States. Basically, it has ripple effects throughout the entire world, even for an average one, and a strong one could have even bigger effects.

NASA satellites are being used to project what the impact of El Nino will be.

They’ve already determined that El Nino has a big impact on fire seasons in the western United States, as well as the Amazon and Indonesia, showing just how wide reaching it is. It may also impact the variability of the pollutant known as ozone, which has ramifications for human health. And it may have an impact on the severe California drought, although scientists are still determining what exactly that impact will be.

In the meantime, researchers are keeping an eye out as this system develops, hoping to make accurate predictions on what we can expect in the coming months.

The National Weather Serivce has released a statement on its Climate Prediction Center website on the effects of El Nino, which can be found here.