<
https://www.sciencealert.com/unusual-mystery-of-dead-whales-washing-up-on-us-coast-may-be-solved>
'Gray whales have been washing up dead on the Pacific coast at an alarming rate
since 2019, and scientists think they might finally know why.
The gray whale strandings from Mexico all the way to Alaska have been declared
an "unusual mortality event," or a significant die-off of a species that is
unexplained and requires a quick response.
Two other mass die-offs of gray whales occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, though
those only lasted a couple of years; the latest is still ongoing.
The latest die-off has caused the North Pacific gray whale population to
plummet from an estimated 27,000 in 2016 to 14,500 in 2023, according to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For years, researchers could only guess what was killing the whales. NOAA has
previously noted that emaciation had been observed in some of the dead whales,
but not in others.
But scientists at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute now say
there is strong evidence that the whale deaths are linked directly to sea ice
melting in the Arctic, according to a study published Thursday in the journal
Science.
Joshua Stewart, an assistant professor at the Marine Mammal Institute and lead
author of the study, said the decrease in sea ice was also causing the gray
whales' food supply to diminish.
"Feels like this time we've got a pretty good 'smoking gun'," Stewart told the
outlet KTVB of the explanation of what was causing the whale deaths.'
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
