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 Ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean The Arctic ocean has experienced drastic change over the years due to global warming. It has been known that the Arctic ocean acidity levels have been increasing and at twice the rate compared to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The loss of sea ice has been connected to a decrease in pH levels in the ocean water. Sea ice has experienced an extreme reduction over the past 30 years, forming a minimum area of 2.9×106 km at the end of the boreal summer of 2007, 47%, less than in 1980. Sea ice limits the