A vast swath of the North Pacific Ocean just logged its warmest summer ever, puzzling scientists and fueling concerns about unexpected climate impacts. The so-called "warm blob," spanning from Asia's east coast to North America's west, saw average sea surface temperatures from July to September rise more than 0.25 degrees Celsius above the previous record, according to a BBC analysis of data from the European Copernicus climate service—a significant jump over an area about 10 times the size of the Mediterranean. This spike is well beyond what most climate models predicted, with some experts putting the odds of such temperatures at less than 1% in any given year.
Researchers attribute part of the warming to natural weather swings, such as weaker winds allowing more heat to linger at the ocean's surface. But climate scientist Zeke Hausfather of Berkeley Earth says natural variability alone can't account for the scale of the anomaly. He notes a recent drop in sulfur pollution from shipping fuel may have reduced sun-reflecting particles that had previously triggered a cooling effect. Other research suggests reduced air pollution in China could also play a role, as the polluted air reflected sunlight away. The heat isn't just a statistical oddity: it's impacting weather on both sides of the Pacific, likely intensifying heatwaves in Japan (which also had its hottest summer on record) and South Korea and fueling storms and "atmospheric rivers" in the US. It could also affect wildlife, per CNN.
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