The mysterious warm-water “blob” in the Pacific Ocean has weakened a bit, scientists reported in mid-December.

 

Strong winds dominating the West Coast during much of November brought “cold air and some new upwelling of deep, cold water that weakened the warm patches that made up the blob,” said Nathan Mantua of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

The blob’s above-normal ocean water temperatures dropped to within 0.5-1.5 degrees Celsius above average.

Scientists have hypothesized a link between the unusual warm-water expanse and climate change or the California drought.