Global Warming

"The blob" — A havoc-wreaking oceanic phenomenon — is back.

The mass of warm ocean water, which got its moniker from meteorologists, was believed to have dissipated, along with its disastrous effects on ocean ecosystems. But it has simply receded to deeper waters.

The unusually warm water conditions result in less nutrient-dense water, which causes ripple effects throughout the food chain. It's believed to be behind the deaths of young sea lions in southern California and die-offs of starving sea birds along the Oregon and Washington coasts.

The warm blob was also linked to unusual weather patterns on land. It's likely behind the West Coast's warm winters and record-low snowpack levels in 2014 and 2015, oceanographers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans found.

The cooling effect of La Niña might be enough to bring ocean temperatures back to normal levels.

Scientists do not attribute the phenomenon directly to global warming but is a taste of what the ocean will be like in future decades once the effect of global warming firmly takes root within out environment.

"The blob," a mass of orange ocean water, is shown in an oceanic temperature map.