In the last hours, scientists lit alarms by the reappearance of a Marine phenomenon that marked a before and after in the study of the Pacific Ocean: “The Blob”. This gigantic heat wavewhich currently covers An area similar to that of the United States continentalthreatens to transform marine ecosystems from the west of the North American country and Clefornia coast fully.
Experts call marine heat waves to the periods in which The surface temperature of the sea remains well above normal during a prolonged period. Unlike a specific increase, these anomalies extend for weeks or months and cover thousands of kilometers.
According to the Oceanic and Atmospheric National Administration (NOAAfor its acronym in English), the definition is based on Compare current temperatures with those expected for that region and time of the year.
In the case of “The Blob”the story goes back to 2013when An unusual weather pattern reduced the winds that normally cool the surface of the Pacific. This atmospheric block prevented the ocean from releasing heat, which generated a cumulative effect that triggered temperature and triggered an unprecedented episode in the area known as California Current.
The new episode, baptized Nep25a by researchers, It emerged in May this year in the Alaska Gulf and quickly expanded south and east. At the end of julioI already covered almost eight million square kilometerswhich is equivalent to some 3.1 million square milesbecoming the fourth largest marine heat wave registered in the Northeast of the Pacific since 1982.
Rachel HagerNOAA Fisheries spokeswoman, explained to SFGATE that thermal anomaly reached “approximately the same size as the United States continental territory”. With these dimensions, NEP25A was among the three most extensive ever documented in the region.
In Septembersatellite images showed that The surface of the sea registered up to 10 ° F (5.5 ° C) above the usuala thermal jump capable of modifying the very base of the ocean food chain.
The first appearance of “The Blob”, between 2013 and 2015left an indelible mark on the marine life of the Pacific.
The cause was at the base of the ecological pyramid: the Lack of phytoplanktonwhich feeds small organisms, fish and, ultimately, the large predators.
Rachel Hosler, a scientist at the University of California in Santa Cruz, explained to the aforementioned environment that the problem becomes a vicious circle: “When phytoplankton decreases, the small organisms that feed on it also lowerand that affects the fish and the species that depend on those fish. It is generated a disruption of the food framework from its base “.
Specialists warn that The new “Blob” grew more quickly than other recent episodes. According to him California Current Marine Heatwave Trackerthe increase in size was related to a low pressure system on Alaska’s Gulf which invested the coastal winds. This alteration reduced the natural cooling of the surface and allowed the heat wave to expand towards the coast a month earlier than expected.
The data collected indicate that during the MAY 10 WEEK of 2025, the phenomenon approached 50 to 75 kilometers from the coasts of Oregon and Washingtonan unusual fact at that time of year. Now, the models suggest that Heat coverage could increase in the coming weeks within the exclusive economic zone (ZEE) of the United States and then Start contracting towards the end of October and November.
At the same time, NOAA seasonal forecasts indicate that The Pacific is under a state of “Surveillance of the girl”with more than one 70 % probability of consolidating between October and December. This climate phenomenon could favor the return of coastal outcrop —The process by which cold and nutrient waters ascend to the surface – and partially mitigate the effects on the coastal strip, Although warming would persist in open sea.
