Mystery behind gigantic 'hot blob' in the middle of the ocean
A giant ‘hot blob’ stretching hundreds of kilometres has appeared in the ocean to the east of New Zealand.
The patch of water in the Pacific Ocean is abnormally hot and shows up bright red on University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute weather maps.
According to Professor James Renwick, a climate researcher at Wellington’s Victoria University, the area is “extremely warm” in comparison to other water bodies around the world.
“It's got to be one of the warmest spots on the planet at the moment,” he told The New Zealand Herald.
According to the weather map, its centre is six degrees warmer than the average sea surface temperature, sitting at about 20C.
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Prof Renwick said sea temperatures did not fluctuate a great deal so such a change was “quite a big deal”.
He said it could be contributed to a lack of wind, but said it was difficult to explain such a variance.
Experts believe such an occurrence could be an indication another marine heatwave could be on its way.
The last time it occurred in 2018 New Zealand experienced its hottest summer, The Guardian reported.
However the current patch of hot water is moving east thanks to westerly winds, meaning New Zealanders on the east coast won’t benefit from its heat.
Parts of Sydney and its surrounding areas could reach the low 40s for successive days from December 29.
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