Something strange is happening in the Pacific Ocean. South of Alaska, sea surface temperatures started surging well above average this summer. The "warm blob" is back, and it has implications for marine life and winter weather.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded a sea surface temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the North Pacific during August, making it the warmest temperature on record. "For perspective, the first time it reached 19 degrees Celsius was 11 years ago, with records dating back to 1854," PIX 11 meteorologist Mike Masco wrote. "This event marks the fourth-largest marine heat wave since 1982, spanning a vast region from north of Hawai'i to the coasts of California and Alaska."
Scientists call the expansive, persistent area of unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the northeastern part of the Pacific the "blob." Climatologist Nick Bond coined the phrase when a large mass of warmer-than-normal water formed off the West Coast in 2013 and 2014. It was boosted by a strong El Niño event and ended up hanging around in the Gulf of Alaska through 2016. Sea surface temperatures were nearly 5 degrees warmer than normal during the event.
"As the blob spread, unusually warm waters triggered extended harmful algae blooms," according to a NASA account of the marine heat wave. "Although such blooms are common, they usually only last a couple of weeks before dissipating. However, the blob fueled longer-lasting and more pervasive blooms, which became toxic to marine life and humans."
By late 2015, the combined force of the warm blob and toxic blooms devastated the fishing industry, unraveling the marine food web. Fin whales and sea otters washed ashore in Alaska, Chinook salmon collapsed in the Northwest, and starving sea lions littered California beaches. The 2014-16 appearance of the warm blob killed an estimated 4 million common murres, a type of seabird found in the North Pacific.
"One of the impacts of human-driven climate change is an increase in marine heat waves, events in which ocean waters are much warmer than usual," a 2024 study concluded. "We have seen that these events take a toll on marine species, from producers to predators, but it is unclear whether their impacts are persistent once water temperatures decline to normal levels."
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A study published in April found that the warming world is supercharging marine heat waves. "Marine heat waves are extreme climatic events consisting of persistent periods of warm ocean waters that have profound impacts on marine life," according to the research. "These episodes are becoming more intense, longer, and more frequent in response to anthropogenic global warming."
Meteorologists will factor this year's warm blob into forecasts for winter. The large patch of anomalous water can induce a ridge of high pressure over the Pacific Northwest, which shifts the jet stream eastward and can plunge the Eastern United States into Arctic temperatures.
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