By John Ramos ,
23 minutes ago
Warm water surge heading toward Bay Area 04:19
Scientists say the tidal flooding seen around the Bay Area last week was the result of El Niño heating up the ocean's water, causing it to rise. But now, there's a new warning: another surge of warm water is on its way to the Bay Area, raising questions about how it will affect an already stressed marine ecosystem.
The notice came in a message from the normally stoic scientists at the National Weather Service: "Wow. Just wow. Check out the SST's (sea surface temperatures)." They are warning that a surge of 65- to 75-degree water is heading north from Southern California. It's being pushed by a Kelvin wave, an underwater swell that originates at the equator.
"They can take about two months to cross the Pacific Ocean before they move back towards the poles," said NWS meteorologist Rachel Kennedy. "They don't typically bring us any super hazardous impacts. I would just say the effects are maybe a bit stronger because we've got the much warmer water already and that's being transported northwards by the Kelvin wave. Which is why we're seeing a much more substantial burst of warm water offshore, basically."
It...