Like a sequel to a horror movie, the marine phenomenon that was Christened the Blob back in 2014 has returned to the waters off the coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California.
The American Agency NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has called attention to the large mass of marine heat that has been noted as being quite similar to the expanse from 2014 and now has quickly formed in very much the same way and in very much the same size.
As part of a feature story for NOAA Fisheries that was released this week, Andrew Leising a research scientist at a NOAA facility in California noted how the traits are similar to those of five years ago.
“It’s on a trajectory to be as strong as the prior event. Already, on its own, it is one of the most significant events that we’ve seen.”
It is already considered the second largest marine heat wave recorded in the Pacific in the last forty years with water temperatures registering a 3 degree Celsius increase from normal ocean temperatures.
The latest marine heatwave emerged over the past few months and remains relatively new and is primarily affecting the upper layers of the ocean, the current forecasts from NOAA suggest that the heat wave is moderating but could continue on for months.
It could break up as or if, the Fall weather patterns begin to arrive on the Pacific, but should it hold its ground (or water in this case) the coastal temperatures will be more moderate this fall and winter but the impact on the marine environment could be dire.
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| Data From NOAA shows the increase of ocean temperatures through this year |
A return of the Blob could make an already worrisome marine situation off BC's waters that much worse, the 2014 event was held responsible for a range of marine concerns, from increased algal blooms that impacted on crabbing and clamming to multiple declared fishery disasters along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California.
From our notes of 2015, then City Councillor Joy Thorkelson noted that the climate issues found from 2104 and into 2015 were at part the cause to the low returns of that fishing season, something that seems to have already been realized from this 2019 season
The full NOAA story can be reviewed here.
As the Blob ebbs and flows off the Pacific Coast, the impacts can be traced from our future entries to our weather archive here as well as our notes on the North Coast Fishery found here.
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