The ‘blob’ is back — except this time it stretches across the entire North Pacific

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By Andrew Freedman, CNN. 

Excerpt: A record-breaking and astonishingly expansive marine heat wave is underway in the Pacific Ocean, stretching about 5,000 miles from the water around Japan to the West Coast of the United States. The abnormally warm “blob” of ocean water, which is getting a significant boost from human-caused global warming, is affecting the weather on land and could have ripple effects on marine life. ...The sea surface temperature difference from average across the entire North Pacific smashed an all-time record for the month of August, with reliable data stretching back to the late 19th century. What worries scientists is the repetitive nature of these events. As climate change causes more heat to be stored in the oceans, ocean temperatures are reaching new heights that could lead to more significant impacts from these heat waves like this. ...Past Northeast Pacific Ocean blobs led to a historic die-off of seabirds in coastal Alaska, and affected fish species along with sea lions and other creatures that call this region home.... 

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