B.C.’s waters are downright balmy compared to the equator
Water temperatures off of British Columbia are balmy compared to parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator. How’d this happen?
It's the second half of October, and countries straddling the equator have chillier water temperatures than British Columbia. How'd this happen?
You'd get hypothermia if you spent too much time in the waters around the Earth's midsection.
We have two significant sea surface temperature anomalies enveloping the eastern Pacific, and it's not hard to spot them.
Let's address the first one that's seriously cranked up the water temperatures along the British Columbia coast.
The ridge responsible for severe drought conditions has pushed water temperatures above 20°C at times this summer in shallower waters of the Salish Sea.
What's more disconcerting is the water south of Haida Gwaii, the archipelago west of Prince Rupert, as of October 19th. That's routinely well-mixed from fall storms this time of year, but instead, water temperatures are in the upper teens, mirroring the water temperatures sloshing around the Galápagos Islands.
Cooler still, check out the waters of Peru. It's no contest.
It's non-intuitive, but you couldn't survive much more than 4 or 5 hours in the Peruvian waters, especially when facing a formidable La Niña. All this chilly water once resided at depth in the eastern Pacific before La Niña conditions brought it to the surface.
If your travels take you to Peru, don't forget to pack your dry suit.
