Scientists believe the severe drought conditions in California and the brutal cold conditions in the east could be down to a ‘blob’ of warm water lurking down the West Coast. The studied patch of warm water has been found to be 2 to 7 degrees warmer than normal, noticed sometime in the fall of 2013 and early months of 2014.
Nick Bond leading a team of scientists from the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean points out that after months of studies and observations. The mass of water was found to get warmer even when spring came calling; the hottest that was ever recorded for the area. After further analysis scientists discovered, the blob was 3 degrees warmer than typical ocean waters.
The blob is not only affecting the climate of the various part of the country but has been found to have severe effects on marine life. Fish on the West coast have been found to swim to unusual places affirming suggestions that the ecosystem continues to suffer as the warm Pacific Ocean water continues to disrupt the food web.
The expansion of the blob is believed to be the main cause of the 1,500 starving sea lion pups and the decline in copepods, as well as the ongoing change in environmental patterns. The blob was not formed by global warming, affirms the scientist but continues to produce conditions and effects synonymous with global warming. The blob influence has also been found to extend inland resulting in unusual weather patterns.
Bond attests that the patch of water that is 1,000 miles in each direction and 300 feet deep was the main cause of Washington’s mild 2014 winter conditions that might signal a warmer summer. The blob has also been attributed to the persistent high-pressure ridge thought to be the main cause of a calmer ocean over the past two winters.
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