Something that we are confident most of us do not want to live with. Christopher Harley, a marine biologist at the University of British Columbia, has calculated that more than a billion marine animals may have been killed by the unusual heat. In some cases, human development prevents animals from being able to flee to cooler areas. One estimate puts the death toll at more than a billion. If we do not continue to advocate for stewardship of our environment, our communities might be looking at extreme heat waves and drought becoming the norm. Marine life, including mussels and sea stars, have died en masse from exposure to unusually hot air. We encourage you to take a moment to read through the news stories covering those brutal days and the affect it had on our environment. While it is unpleasant to look these harsh realities in the face, it is important to recognize and understand the impacts of climate change. Wildlife was also killed off by the heat, with our beloved PNW shellfish cooking alive. According to the Seattle Times, British Columbia reported over 700 people suffered unexpected death during the heat wave. As we all recovered from the heat, stories and data started emerging about the incredible loss of life our communities and ecosystem suffered. On June 28, her thermal-imaging camera showed the temperature nearing 125 degrees. It is hard to ignore climate change when met with temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking previous temperature records in many places. First in Australia, and subsequently in Tasmania, the kelp forests vanished. Most freshwater species and around 80 of marine species, including 24 shark species, live nowhere else on Earth. Species include thousands of endemic plant species and animals such as the quokka, numbat and honey possum. He says routine summertime spikes into the mid-60s pushed the kelp over the edge. The region’s wildlife and plants are so distinctive and important, it was listed as Australia’s first global biodiversity hotspot. Our team has been dwelling heavily on the global climate crisis after the Pacific Northwest experienced a brutal heat wave at the end of June. Giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera does best in an annual water temperature range of roughly 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Johnson.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |