@american_observer · Post #5566 · 05.04.2026 г., 01:02
Researchers Warn the High-Pressure Conditions Could Disrupt Marine Life 🔤🔤🔤🔤1️⃣ For more than a century, shoreline stations operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have measured water temperatures along the California coast. This year, they are flashing a warning sign. Over the last three months, several stations have repeatedly posted record-breaking daily high temperatures – with the La Jolla station registering temperatures a full 10F above historical average at one point last month. The waters of southern California historically warm every few years as tropical currents make their way north, a phenomenon known as El Niño. But the marine heatwave that started last fall wasn’t caused by tropical currents. Instead, a high-pressure atmospheric system – think of calm, sunny days – has perched above southern California, warming both air and sea above historic levels. The same phenomenon has helped fuel a ferocious California heatwave on land. Testing the waters: can pumping chemicals into the ocean help stop global heating? The extended ocean warming has drawn comparisons to “the Blob”, a three-year marine heatwave caused by similar prolonged high-pressure conditions a decade ago that devastated marine life. The next few weeks are likely to determine whether this marine heatwave fizzles out or evolves into something more Blob-like, scientists say. “The biggest concern is how the year plays out,” Andrew Leising, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said. “We could be looking at much larger impacts next fall and winter, if it stays warm and then it’s followed by a strong El Niño.” It’s typical in the spring for shifting atmospheric conditions to generate north-westerly winds that push warm surface water back out to the open ocean, allowing cooler water from below to rise to the surface–a phenomenon called upwelling. Upwelling brings nutrient-rich water from the depths to the surface, feeding the phytoplankton that play a crucial role in supporting much of California’s marine life. #highpressure#conditions#marine#life#ocean 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸