If surfers want to enjoy this, we’ll need to fight to protect it. Photo: Kane Brown
In 2015 the U.S. experienced the hottest year since instrument records began keeping track in 1880. The prior record was set in 2014.
Throughout 2014 and 2015, the Pacific Ocean experienced unusually warm temperatures as well. Scientists began to refer to this phenomenon as “the blob”: a large area of extremely warm water that helped create a bulging area of high pressure over Alaska, which directed impressive cold over the U.S. for the past two winters but blocked storms from hitting the West Coast.
So how are these record-setting numbers and rising temperatures affecting our oceans? And ultimately, how is this affecting our favorite surf spots?
Although scientists announced late last year that the blob had begun to dissipate, it still managed to do meaningful damage to our oceans. Ocean temperatures reportedly increased by an average of 4 degrees Fahrenheit all over the West Coast, allowing some of us to experience what it would be like to live full time in Hawaii (aside from the grimy pollution, red tide, and occasional oil spills).
We didn’t complain about wearing trunks in October or November, but there are probably a few factors we didn’t consider while basking in the blob’s warmth; these nutrient-poor waters were disrupting the delicate circle of life in our oceans.
Unwelcome species of fish began appearing in new places. Starved seal pups dragged themselves ashore. Toxic algal blooms stretched from Central California to Washington, and global coral bleaching has decimated coral reefs in Hawaii and the Caribbean.
Ironically, the blob, coupled with El Nino, has blessed us with consistent swell all winter long. Everyone’s surf stoked. This is a problematic truth for surfers. Essentially, the longer our earth stays in a state of heating, the higher the potential for good waves. That’s where the storms originate. This is known scientifically as the Pacific decadal oscillation period.
But this surf stoke is ultimately a dangerous distraction from the dire state of our oceans.
Researchers at Sustainable Surf say rising ocean temperatures, a direct result of man-made climate change, can and will have a direct impact on surfers, if left unchecked.
In fact, in the future we might not need to check the tide any more. Glaciers melting in places like Alaska could lead directly to permanent high tide conditions, eventually eroding beautiful coastlines with epic reef breaks. Over time, that could make an irreversible impact on iconic waves. Yeah, Pipeline, we’re looking at you.
Increasing ocean acidification also creates grave complications. The ocean’s carbon monoxide levels continue to rise as a result of population growth, spiking acid levels and wreaking havoc on many marine species.
“The ocean is the life support system for the planet, providing 50 percent of the oxygen we breathe and regulating climate,” said Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on Oct. 1, 2015. “The ocean is also the pump that allows us to have fresh water. It is the driving force, along with the sun, of the global circulation system that transports water from the land to the sea to the atmosphere and back to the land again.”
Captain Watson is one of the original co-founders of Greenpeace, but left the non-profit after 8 years because he felt the original goals of the organization were being compromised.
Instead, he founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 1977 with a lifelong goal of enforcing laws to protect wildlife.
Captain Watson has led his charge with the belief: “If the oceans die, we die.”
It may not just be our surf spots that are at stake; it may be all of the world’s oceans that are susceptible to irreversible damage.
