According to a collective of scientists based in the UK, a mass of warm water in the northeast Pacific Ocean may be responsible for the California drought.
First spotted off the West Coast in 2013, “the blob” is "about 1,000 miles across and 300 feet deep, with temperatures between 2 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal," reports CBS San Francisco.
“The ‘blob’ is a giant patch of unusually warm water off the West Coast in the northeast Pacific Ocean,” the collective explains.
“It has been observed since 2013 and has had a strong effect on the weather over the Pacific Northwest region since then.”
Part of an umbrella project launched by Oxford University back in 2003, American research partners at Oregon State University will be running hundreds of variations on computer models to determine the relationship between the abnormally warm patch of water and the drought conditions plaguing the Western states—including California, Oregon, and Washington.
As to be expected, the climate scientists are looking into the role of global warming in the drought:
“This blob is an unusual phenomenon and could be the main cause of the drought, rather than climate change, or it could be a combination of both acting at the same time.”
Check out their website here for more information about the project.