Pacific Blob
What is the Blob?
The Pacific blob is an area of unusually warm water in the Pacific ocean. The warm water is not due to heating, but is actually due to less cooling. A high pressure ridge over the west coast has kept oceans calmer, and there have been fewer storms to cool the surface of the water. There are three blobs, located in the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the coast of California.
5 Facts
- Waters have increased in temperature by 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the last year and a half
- Tropical sharks have been found in Northern Latitudes
- Could be having an impact on thunderstorms in California
- Salmon's food source is leaving to find cooler waters, and salmon have nothing to eat
- Some scientists think the waters are shifting to a warmer pattern
The Effects of the Blob
The blob can have an impact on our salmon industry; since the salmon's food source is leaving, the salmon may eventually leave as well because they have nothing to eat. The blob can also impact thunderstorms in California, which could cause more forest fires due to more lightning.