Looking further back in time is just as concerning - ocean heat wave days have increased more than 50 percent in the 30 years to 2016, compared to the period of 1925 to 1954. 'The Blob' refers to the large mass of relatively warm water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of North America.Īccording to Smale, “you see the kelp and seagrasses dying in front of you. Within weeks or months they are just gone along hundreds of kilometers of coastline.” Anthropogenic climate change is behind much of the redistribution of species and the reorganization of natural systems, and represents a major threat to global biodiversity. The biggest surprise was the significant loss of what biologists call foundational species, like coral reefs, sea grasses and kelp forests. They support the diversity of aquatic life by providing shelter from predators, moderating temperatures and acting as food sources. When they disappear, the entire ecosystem disappears along with them.īeyond quantifying the increase in heat waves, the research team conducted a thorough analysis of 116 research papers dealing with eight well documented marine heat waves. Events such as the record breaking El Niño of 2011 or the famous 'Blob' that persisted in the Northeast Pacific from 2013 to 2016 revealed that marine heat waves have adverse impacts on the ocean food chains, from essential plankton populations to invertebrates, fish and seabirds.ĭespite the higher than average surface water temperatures, some marine wildlife are mobile and can, in theory, swim to cooler waters, but ocean heat waves often strike large areas more rapidly than fish can move. Eventually their impact on marine life can have major socioeconomic and political implications, as was seen in 2012 across the North Atlantic, when lobster stocks were dramatically affected creating tensions between the U.S.
Legend: A bull kelp forest as seen from the surface of Ocean Cove in northern California in 20. Credit: Kevin Joe and Cynthia Catton, California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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