<
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/seabird-deaths-alaska-marine-heatwaves/>
'In 2014, scientists at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge knew
something was wrong when they started noticing thousands of common murres
washing up on beaches in Alaska.
A decade later, a study led by these scientists has documented the devastating
effect that marine heat waves have had on the population of these birds along
the coast of Alaska.
As the University of Washington detailed, data was collected from surveys of
the bird colonies between 2008 and 2022 to determine the impact that a marine
heat wave that occurred between 2014 and 2016 had on population numbers.
It was found that this heat wave, known as "The Blob," resulted in the deaths
of between 50 to 75% of the birds, depending on the colony in question.
The study, which was led by biologist Heather Renner and published in
Science, estimated that approximately 4 million birds died in total, which is
around half the population.
Examination of the bird carcasses revealed the heat waves had caused changes in
the populations of the fish they feed on, leading the birds to die of
starvation.
Worryingly, there has been no sign of the bird populations recovering in the
years since.
"Whether the warming comes from a heat wave, El Niño, Arctic sea ice loss or
other forces, the message is clear: Warmer water means massive ecosystem change
and widespread impacts on seabirds," said Julia Parrish, a UW professor and
author on the study.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
