The Blob (Pacific Ocean) the surface waters of the mid-latitude Pacific Ocean flipping from a cold phase to a warm phase in a cycle known as the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). This poorly-understood change happens at irregular intervals of years or decades. During a warm phase, the west Pacific becomes cooler and part of the eastern ocean warms; during the cool phase, these changes reverse. Scientists believe a cold phase started in the late 1990s and the arrival of the Blob may be the start of the next warm phase. The PDO phases may also be related to the likelihood of El Nino events.
Ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean from the Pacific ocean. Cold water is able to absorb higher amounts of carbon dioxide compared to warm water. The solubility of gases decreases in relation to increasing temperature. Cold water bodies are absorbing the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and becoming known as carbon sinks. The increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the water is putting many organisms at risk as they are affected by the increase of acidity in the ocean water. Organisms in Arctic waters are already challenged with stressors of living in the arctic ocean, such as dealing with cold temperatures, and it