Strange ‘Warm Blob’ Resurfaces in Pacific Ocean

Where did it come from? Well, the National Park Service says:

“No, it didn’t come from outer space…The Blob is caused by a combination of warmer air temperatures (that warms the ocean’s surface), changes in the patterns of wind speed, direction and duration (wind helps mix the ocean and by bringing cool water from depth) and the persistent mass of warmer water along the equator known as ENSO.”

It’s also happened before. According to NASA:

“In 2013,a mysterious pool of warm water developed off of Alaska. This marine heat was so persistent and unusual that it initially defied explanation. The pool lingered in the sub-Arctic Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska through winter, and then quickly expanded south along the Pacific Coast. By summer of 2014, the heated mass of water stretched from Alaska to Mexico and had been nicknamed ‘the blob.’”

And NOAA continues to monitor its development and path. Their latest update calls it, “the 4th largest marine heatwave since monitoring began in 1982. The current marine heatwave development pattern still matches what we have typically seen over the past several years: warming during late spring within the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and central region, followed by feature enlargement, and then shoreward encroachment.”

While warmer water patterns in the northern Pacific have previously resulted in things such as larger and more destructive algal blooms, they have not been tied to El Niño seasons. Instead, forecasters estimate that the 2025/26 season is shaping up more to be a likely La Niña season.

Stay tuned.