They call it “the Blob.”A decade ago, sea surface temperatures in the Pacific shot up to 11 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than normal.
A high pressure system parked over the ocean, and winds that churn cold, nutrient-rich water from the depths to the surface died down.
Stagnant, warm water spread across the Northeast Pacific, in a marine heat wave that lasted for three years.
Under the surface, the food web broke down and ecosystems convulsed, at first unseen to humans on shore.
Researchers are still untangling the threads of what happened, and they caution against drawing universal conclusions from a single regional event.
Locations:
Pacific, West Coast