"It is very troubling to see that humans-caused climate changes are increasing the severity of megadroughts."
Southern Blob
A large area of the south Pacific Ocean's water has experienced significantly higher temperatures than the surrounding water, triggering a series of events that led to a decade-long megadrought for Chile.
According to research published in The Journal of Climate on Thursday, the so-called Southern Blob was linked to changes in wind patterns and rising temperatures due to rampant burning of fossilfuels. It has lasted many years longer than any naturally occurring blob. Experts warned Reuters that Chile's severe megadrought could bring down entire civilizations. They claim that this has already occurred in human history.
It is very troubling to see that humans-caused climate change is increasing the severity of megadroughts," Andreas Prein, National Center for Atmospheric Research climate scientist, told Reuters.
Prein said that such extreme droughts can lead to the destruction of historical civilizations like the Mayas and the Ming Dynasties. They also have the potential to destabilize modern cultures, such as those recently observed in Syria.
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Our Bad
Oceanic blobs may occur naturally. However, the blob is larger than the US continental and 1.5 degrees Celsius more than in 1980. This blob points directly at climate change and human's devastating effects on the environment.
The blob is naturally occurring, but climate change is what is causing it to last so long, Rene Dario Garreaud, University of Chile Santiago climate scientist, told Reuters.
This doesn't mean every blob will have such devastating human impacts. Chile had to provide water to over 400,000 people in one year, but the Southern Blob is exactly where it needs to be trouble. As climate change advances, more warm blobs will likely form and persist.
Dillon Amaya, University of Colorado Boulder climate scientist, told Reuters that we need to be aware of changes in the global climate thousands of kilometers away. It all connects.
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READ MORE: Climate Change Fueling Warm Ocean Blob Resulting in Chile Megadrought Study [Reuters]
Climate change: More information on the ocean losing oxygen. This scientist predicts that there will soon be more dead zones.
