The “Anti-Blob:” Cool, Nutrient Rich Waters Off the West Coast

Remember the “Blob?” That awful patch of sterile, warm water from late 2013-2015 and again in summer 2019? Well, now we have the opposite of the “Blob;” a swath of cooler-than-average water along the West Coast extending all the way to Hawaii. What do you think we should call it? In the past I’ve called it the “Glob” or “Anti-Blob,” but I’m sure there are better names out there. 🙂

These cool ocean temps are great news for a few reasons. First, they are great news for marine life and salmon. The water is cooler-than-average due to increased mixing and upwelling, which brings more acidic & nutrient-rich water from depth to the surface. When this nutrient-rich water receives sunlight, there tends to be a lot of “primary productivity” (ie phytoplankton growth), which then leads to more zooplankton that feed on the phytoplankton, which in turn leads to more baitfish that feed on the zooplankton, and more birds/fish that feed on the baitfish, etc.

2014-2015 featured a massive dieoff in Cassin’s Auklets along the West Coast due to sterile waters and insufficient amounts of food. This cooler, nutrient-rich water corresponds with more plankton, and more plankton = more fish, birds, orcas – you name it! If you compare the sea-surface-temperature anomalies and chlorophyll anomalies (chlorophyll is used to measure primary productivity), you’ll see a clear relationship between cooler temps and higher chlorophyll, and vise versa.

Second, these cool ocean temps will help cool the coastal areas this summer, especially for California. During summers with the Blob, we tend to be muggier (since warmer water corresponds with warmer, moister air), so having less mugginess is always a good thing!

Unfortunately, these cool ocean temps likely have little impact reducing our fire *potential*, which still looks extremely high this summer due to drought. I say “potential” because we cannot forecast individual weather events (like the ones that caused the lightning-initiated fires over California in mid-August 2020 or the Labor Day firestorm over Oregon and California last year), but by having drought conditions and dry fuels, it takes less severe events to cause equally destructive outcomes, and extreme events can be even more catastrophic.

Sorry to end the blog on such a depressing note! But hey, at least the salmon should be fat this year. 🙂

Charlie