January 17, 2020

Anna Murray 

Ocean heatwave known as “The Blob” is killing seabirds abnormally. Rising ocean temperature caused by heatwave is causing fish to migrate north where the temperature is lower. Scientists believe the migration of fish is the reason why thousands of puffins in Alaska are found dead recently.

The food shortage left the underfed birds starving, triggered by increased competition in the warmer water, scientists said. Over the course of a few months, up to 9000 puffins and other seabirds died.

Researchers studied fisheries-collected fish and plankton observations during the period the blob was at its maximum, as well as other field studies and records, and suggested that the warmer water conditions had enhanced the metabolism of those cold-blooded ocean dwellers.

This meant that predatory fish can consume more than normal, and that's likely to have added competition to the top of the food chain. Eventually the forage fish schools on which murres depend would have become very difficult to find.

Large blobs of hot ocean water are now emerging around the globe, causing more impacts on marine wildlife.

Photo:Webshot.