Overview:
It's uncommon that marine wildlife is the first subject brought up when talking about climate change. Most people think of the O-zone layer or the smog in the cities, but the heatwaves affect more than just people. In San Francisco, a heatwave increased the temperatures of the coast 11 degrees higher than the average. Scientists originally assumed it was an anomaly, until time passed, and the oceans were not getting better.
They called it the Blob and the Blob was first recognized by the piles of dead birds on the shore. Cassin auklet - small, gray seabirds - and common murres - bigger, black-and-white seabirds - washed up in piles knee high. Millions were killed due to starvation.
Later, it was seen that the Bull Kelp - a seaweed that grows in dense forests - were almost completely diminished. At the time, scientists weren't fully aware of the heat waves or what they could do to the marine wildlife so when the seaweed didn't come back, they had to dig deeper. They assumed that the Bull Kelp wouldn't be affected by climate change because its density and that it reached from the floor to the surface, but its falling numbers caused disruption in the food chain.
Researchers are hesitant to draw concrete conclusions but have recognized the damage that can be done by climate change. Areas that once flourished, became desolate and deadly for marine life. The Greater Farallones, for example, used to be a place where animals would travel thousands of miles to for the excess of food. After the blob, the bottom of the food chain - phytoplankton - disappeared, leaving the krill, the small fish, the SeaStar's, the auklets, murres, seals and whales to die of starvation.
With this, the heatwave introduced a new enemy. A coast-wide algal bloom erupted in the oceans creating “increased concentrations of the neurotoxin domoic acid…” PMC said. This algae boom resulted in fisheries closing, marine animals becoming stranded, and deaths due to starvation.
How does this affect us?
The biggest way this affects us is the lack of fish for food. 17% of the world's animal product consumption was fish. "3.1 billion people rely on fish for 20% of their daily protein intake," according to UW. Not only is fish an important aspect but the crab industry after the blob stopped completely. Whether it was avoiding harmful toxins from overgrown algae or avoiding whales that have drifted out of their normal areas, crab fishing was halted.
What is being done?
Science News says, “While there is little immediate human control on preventing marine heatwaves…removing invasive predators or other species…that create an additive stress,” will help rebuild the populations and save the species as a whole. The Greater Farallones has been a prime target of restoration by scientists knowing that it will help all kinds of marine life. They have focused on controlling the sea urchin population in hopes that the Bull Kelp will reseed and grow to be strong. Slowly but surely, in the last decade, there has been growth and precautions taken in hopes that the area will be restored.
The fight isn't over yet. One habitat may be close to being saved but what happens if the temperatures keep going up?
I appreciate how you addressed how the rising temperates effect areas beyond human-inhabited land. These effects are not only detrimental to marine ecosystems but the overall food chain, which if these causes continue to occur, we will soon see how this effects the human population. I hope that human intervention can reduce these harmful impacts before it is too late. Very well done.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though this blog increased my knowledge on heat damage tremendously. You touched on the fact that climate change causes heat damage but not only affects human but also the sea. I also liked how you touched on the fact that this can cause an extreme diminish in food sources as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is devastating to see the impact that climate change has on marine ecosystems, from dying seabirds to the collapse of kelp forests. I like how you mention how interconnected these ecosystems are, with one disruption causing a cascade of consequences. Are there specific ways communities can contribute to the protection of marine life, or are we mostly reliant on large scale initiatives?
ReplyDeleteAs a nature lover, this is crushing. One of my biggest motivators for being a huge advocate for climate change is its detrimental effects on all flora and fauna. I appreciated the insight into not only some specific species that would affect the human population but also the trends and how they will continue to reach alarming numbers if change is not made. One thing I had never considered was migration and how it has been affected.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting parallel to the loss of bull kelp is the slow acidification of oceans leading to the death of coral reefs. Basically how it works is that warmer oceans lead to more carbon dioxide being dissolved into the water, which forms carbonic acid. This is actually the same reaction that makes soda fizzy. The acid in the water breaks down calcium based salts that form the shells of corals. Coral death leads to sweeping coastal ecosystem collapse and a lot of the same consequences you detail in your post.
ReplyDeleteInteresting!
DeleteWhen I was a kid I really wanted to be a Marine Biologist, so the topic of marine welfare always hits so close to home. It is a shame to see these habitats to disturbed but it makes me hopeful that scientists are attempting to correct the overflow of invasive species. I've seen a similar protocol employed with attempting to contain the spread of Lionfish.
ReplyDeleteHearing that 90% of the kelp forests have been depleted is so tragic because kelp is actually a large carbon sink! I take great interest in the oceans in particular and learned about the kelp forests this past year at an aquarium. They are so important to the ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteHi Brynn,
ReplyDeleteWow, that first picture with birds is so powerful, its incredibly frustrating that mass die off's like these can happen and some people still refuse to acknowledge the consequences of climate change. I have taken a variety of oceanography and biology courses over the year and know how delicate of a balance both the oceanic and other ecosystems can be, it scary to think how a slight shift in global temperatures can have such a drastic impact. It also raises questions about how deep sea ecosystems that we have less information on, may be altered.
Thank you for this information! I have never heard of a heat wave in the ocean before. I also found the dietary fish facts to be interesting. I did not know that 3.1 billion people relied on fish for 20% of their daily nutrition.
ReplyDeleteThe impact on marine life is one aspect of climate change that doesn't receive enough attention. The narrative of "The Blob" and the devastating effects it had on the ecosystem—from kelp forests to seabirds—is both heartbreaking and incredibly powerful. Everything in the food chain is interconnected, and you've done a fantastic job of illustrating how one disturbance can have a cascading effect. It serves as an alarming warning that climate change affects both what occurs beneath the surface and what we see on land.
ReplyDeleteYou put the marine heat waves into the rich and complicated setting which is the reality of ocean life. To me it is heartbreaking to see these deep disturbances of the ocean ecosystem. The ocean is so vast and we live on the land, yet humans are having enormously consequential impacts there.
ReplyDelete