The Pacific 'Blob' marine heatwave coincided with unexpected die-offs of California sea lions, Guadalupe fur seals, common murres, and Cassin's auklets.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by peer-reviewed research (PLOS ONE), NOAA official Unusual Mortality Event declarations, and independent news/academic sources covering all four named species.
Sources
- A Striking New View of the Pacific 'Blob' (nationalgeographic.com)
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0226087 (journals.plos.org)
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2015-2021-guadalupe-fur-seal-and-2015-northern-fur-seal-unusual (fisheries.noaa.gov)
- https://www.pressherald.com/2015/09/29/is-guadalupe-fur-seal-die-off-tied-to-ocean-warming/ (pressherald.com)
- https://fish.uw.edu/?p=15162 (fish.uw.edu)