A Kelvin wave, a slow surge of warm water linked to El Niño, is travelling north and could reach British Columbia as soon as mid-October, Canada's National Observer reports.
It will not look like a breaking wave. Scientists expect slightly higher coastal water levels, warmer temperatures and shifts in currents, which can disrupt the cold, nutrient-rich upwelling that marine food webs, including salmon, depend on.
Jordan Watson of Ocean Networks Canada said the wave on its own poses relatively little danger, but it is arriving on top of ocean temperatures already raised by climate change. Combined with high tides, storm surge or an atmospheric river, it could raise the risk of coastal flooding. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says most home and business policies do not cover coastal flooding.
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