SEATTLE, Wash. — NOAA scientists are monitoring a new ocean heat wave off the U.S. West Coast that they say could disrupt marine life.
The area of unusually warm water stretches from Alaska to California.
Researchers say it resembles a similar heat wave from about five years ago called “the blob” that they blamed for low salmon survival rates, more humpback whales entangled in fishing gear while they swim closer to shore, and an algae bloom that shut down crabbing and clamming.
NOAA Fisheries says the water has reached temperatures more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit above average.
If it lingers, it could be disastrous for the Pacific Northwest’s endangered orcas, which largely depend on chinook salmon.