The blob is back in the Northern Pacific Ocean: What does that mean for B.C.?

“And so compared to what temperatures were in the 20th century, sure we’re going to get more marine heat waves, just because of that background warming.”

Scientists are still trying to understand the impact that these large marine heat waves have on the weather.

The jet stream, a band of strong winds in the upper atmosphere, affects the strength of storms as they move from west to east across North America.

Bill Merryfield, a research scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, said more research is needed on marine heat waves altering weather patterns. However, he said the blob could increase the amount of moisture in storms, making atmospheric rivers more frequent and intense.

“The atmosphere that’s in contact with the ocean will tend to be warmer, more water will evaporate from the surface of the ocean and tend to make moisture in the lower atmosphere as well. That can create unstable conditions locally, and that air can be carried by the prevailing winds,” he said.

“So these marine heat waves can affect the ocean circulation patterns, such as the jet stream, very far away from the actual location of the blob, but that is somewhat more speculative at this time.”

The blob in 2015 caused temperatures to spike because it was much closer to the B.C coast, but Merryfield says this latest blob is farther away so it’s difficult to predict whether winter will be warmer than normal.

“In 2015, there was a pretty direct influence of the warmer air above the blob being carried over the Pacific Northwest, and that has been documented by researchers,” he said.

Bond said the current marine heat wave was severe over the summer but has since moderated along the Pacific Northwest coast. This moderation is beneficial, he said, because it reduces the warming effect on inland air, which could mean B.C. receives a decent snowpack on the mountains, unlike in 2014 and 2015 when it was abysmally low, thanks in part to the blob.

He said this is not just good news for skiers but for summer water supplies and forest health.

“A couple of months ago almost the entire North Pacific was considerably warmer than normal near the surface, and it has remained really warm compared to what’s usual for this time of year,” said Bond.

Scientists say climate change is playing a role in making heat waves more intense and they predict they will become more frequent. Many peer-reviewed studies have linked an increase in marine heat waves to global warming mainly caused by burning fossil fuels.

For example, earlier this year, a study from the University of Victoria and published in Oceanography and Marine Biology, found that the blob was seven times more likely to occur than it would have before human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.