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A huge area of warm water in the ocean is resulting in increased levels of ozone which can cause permanent lung damage, scientists have found.

Nicknamed 'the blob' - highlighted on a scale bar in bright pink and red - the warm patch of seawater was first detected in the Pacific 2013.

It has since continued to spread year-by-year at worrying levels, leaving environmental experts concerned.

And this week a study has revealed that the warming of the water is leading to a rise in ozone in Western US.

This means an increase in the likelihood of people suffering shortness of breath and even long-term lung damage.

(Image: American Geophysical Union)

In the study, conducted by the University of Washington Bothell, is was found that the blob increase ozone levels above Washington, Oregon, western Utah and northern California.

"Washington and Oregon was really the bullseye for the whole thing, because of the location of the winds," said Dr Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington Bothell and lead author of the study.

"Salt Lake City and Sacramento were on the edge of this event, but because their ozone is typically higher, those cities felt some of the more acute effects."

The research, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, had found that the effects of 'the blob' - warm temperatures, low cloud cover and calmer air - created the ideal condition for producing ozone.

This type of toxic gas is an invisible component of smog that is a pollutant formed when sun rays react with pollutants from cars and factories.

And it is the ozone which spiked to between 3 and 13 parts per billion higher than average over the northwestern United States in June 2015.

Levels of Ozone in Salt Lake City and Sacramento also went above federally allowed limits.