VANCOUVER (CU)_Over the past week, record-breaking temperatures were recorded in Westernmost provinces of Canada, across five days, as the so-called “heat dome” descended from the United States. The extreme heat conditions broke Canadian high-temperature records as the heat wave pushed temperatures along the Western coast of the country to 40C (104F). According to officials, nearly 500 people may have been killed by the disaster, a 195 per cent increase from the average number of deaths expected from the province during a heat wave across five days.
However, according to experts, the extreme temperatures has also had a devastating impact on marine life. Recent calculations have revealed that more than one billion marine animals may have been killed over the past week as a result of the unusual heat, a marine biologist at the University of British Columbia said. According to Christopher Harley, a walk along the beach in the Vancouver area would allow one to comprehend the magnitude of the disaster.
“The shore doesn’t usually crunch when you walk on it. But there were so many empty mussel shells lying everywhere that you just couldn’t avoid stepping on dead animals while walking around,” he said. Sharing what he witnessed, Harley noted that while a large number of sea stars, clams and snails were found to be decaying in the shallow water, it was the smell of rotting mussels who had been burnt to death by the abnormally warm water that struck him most. He described the experience as “overpowering and visceral”.
According to the marine biologist, mussels are considered to be hardy shellfish, which means they can tolerate temperatures up to about high 30s. On the other hand, barnacles are even sturdier as they are capable of surviving in temperatures as high as mid-40s, at least for a few hours. “But when the temperatures get above that, those are just unsurvivable conditions,” he said.
Harley also pointed out that mussels usually regenerate over a period of two years, which ensures a recovery within a reasonable period. However, clams and starfish usually live for decades and reproduce more slowly, which means their recovery would take longer.
Regardless, the recent disaster highlighted the vulnerability of the ecosystem to rising temperatures. Experts have warned the communities in the region that they may have to adapt to the reality that sudden heat waves of this form are likely to become more common as global climate change continues to accelerate.
