Pacific Ocean’s ‘marine heatwaves’ likely to become more frequent, intense
Apr 1, 2016, 12:00 PM | Updated: Apr 3, 2016, 10:17 am
The "blob" blamed for warmer weather in Western Washington could become more intense in the future, according to new research. (AP)
(AP)
That oceanic “blob” that has been at least partially to blame for Washington’s warmer weather is real, and recent research shows it could return more frequently.
A paper co-authored by Hillary Scannell, a University of Washington oceanographer and doctoral student, notes that the “blobs” are not as rare as some may have originally thought. Furthermore, we should expect more in the future.
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Marine “heat waves” are “likely to become more frequent and intense,” the paper states.
That goes right along with what others have said in the past, such as state climatologist and University of Washington Professor Nick Bond. He told KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don that while the “blob” in the Pacific Ocean is a “short-term climate event,” it is something that we will see more in the future.
“The globe has warmed,” he said. “Temperatures here in Washington state, especially nighttime temperatures in the summer, have warmed over the last century.”
The “blob” off Washington’s coast is thought to be a contributing factor to our warmer weather and the low snowpack between 2014 and 2015. The water warms the air above it, which then increases temperatures on land.
More recently, Bond told KING 5 that the “blob” is dissipating. However, the state continues to feel the effects.
The Pacific is between one and two degrees above normal. Longview, for example, was reporting water temperatures of 49.3 degrees April 1; five years ago it was reporting temperatures of 47.1 on the same day.
The downside — or perhaps upside for those who didn’t like the climate of Washington a few decades ago — is warmer temperatures overall in the state. But as we saw last summer, warmer temperatures can lead to droughts and disastrous wildfires.
Some, such as Climatologist Cliff Mass, have said that what we experienced last summer was somewhat of an anomaly in terms of the record-setting temperatures. Mass does point out, however, that we can expect what is now an anomaly, to become an every-day reality later in the century.
