[imagesource:ventusky.com]

The speculation online about a mysterious dark “blob” off the coast of southern Africa has been growing as a weather-mapping system yet again captured what some claim is a strange wave anomaly.

Some time ago, someone shared a post on Reddit with a video showing what looked like a large, undulating dark pattern between the southwest coast of Africa and Antarctica.

The blob image (see above) was taken on a forecasting map captured by Ventusky, a meteorological app run by the Czech company InMeteo, which allows users to observe weather patterns, winds and waves using real-time data collated from respected international sources, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a U.S. government agency, noted Newsweek.

The unexplained weather phenomenon appeared on satellites for just a few seconds, with the person on Reddit posting about finding it just under Cape Town from about 8PM on 9 April to about 5AM on 12 April, before it “vanished”.

The first time that this large wave anomaly was spotted between Antarctica and southern Africa was weird, but the fact that it has been seen time and time again in the same month is really deepening the mystery.

Image: Ventusky.com

Now people are sharing their  “Blob Anomaly” theories online, with some videos attracting hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok.

@glamhamradio THE BLOB & GLAM HAM IN NEWSWEEK – plus: not ONE, but TWO MAJOR FREAKY NEW DISCOVERIES ON THE BLOB! #mystery #strange #anomaly #antarctica #southafrica #capetown #weather #calgary #ocean ♬ Mysterious and sad BGM(1120058) – S and N

@glamhamradio My theory on the strange blob anomaly in a minute. Last video was more in depth if you want more! See my prior Blob videos for context. Also the FERRO FLUID is in my showcase if you want some 👍 #mysterious #weather #science #ufo #leviathan #antarctica #southafrica #capetown ♬ Mysterious and sad BGM(1120058) – S and N

A spokesperson for Ventusky told Newsweek that the video on Reddit appeared to be “manipulative” and that the issue was caused by a “model error.”

“It seems to be addressing an error in the model that was previously refuted,” the spokesperson said. “But the error is no longer there and the current model is fine.”

Ventusky previously told Newsweek that the error originated in the model itself, “so it was also reflected in the visualization on our website.”

“In this case, the model is from the German Meteorological Service (DWD), with whom we are in contact and they have already resolved this error.”

“Please note, that the model receives millions of data points from ships and buoys throughout the ocean. Problems can occur in such a large database. However, it may take time to determine the exact cause of this error.”

But people are pointing out several other odd meteorological patterns near Bouvet Island, a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, commonly referred to as the most remote island on the planet.

@glamhamradio JUNE 5 2024 BLOB SIGHTING 😁 and crazy weather in South Africa – and an earthquake 🌎 #south #atlantic #blob #anomaly #antarctica #weather #tornado #hurricane #flood #mystery #ventusky ♬ Mysterious and sad BGM(1120058) – S and N

While it can very easily seem like the North is bringing some weird cloud of iron over from the South for whatever reason, Professor Roy Grainger, a reader in Atmospheric Physics at the University of Oxford, says the patterns appeared to be examples of vortex shedding.

Vortex shedding occurs when water or air flows around an object, producing a fluctuating, oscillating pattern of force behind it. In a follow-up video posted on Reddit, the TikTok user who created the original video explained that this phenomenon was the cause.

“[It’s] basically rotational circulation downwind of the island that you see in the clouds,” Professor Grainger told Newsweek. “The ripples downwind of the island (you also see in the clouds) are the much more common lee-waves.”

Mystery deepened? Or mystery solved?

[source:newsweek]