And you’re going to show me the shadows of things that have not yet happened but will happen? – Dickens
Massive extinction events in the past, like the Permian Extinction, became deadly when rampant global warming turned oceans fom life giving wombs to toxic soup.
The planet is firing a few warning shots. We would do well to listen up.
Climate change may be the answer behind the recent deaths of more than two dozen whales in B.C. and Alaskan waters, according to a University of British Columbia professor.
Since May, humpback and fin whales have been washing up on the shores in the Pacific Northwest, leaving scientists stumped. In most cases, the cause was unknown.
University of British Columbia professor Dr. Andrew Trites has been trying to unravel the mystery.
“We can rule a few things out by having inspected their bodies to rule out things such as starvation, any signs of disease, any signs of having been hit by ships or caught by fishing gear,” Dr. Trites told CTV. “We have to begin, in essence, doing ecological detective work.”
A massive warm water patch in the Pacific referred to as the “blob,” has been creating toxic algae blooms, according to Dr. Trites. The algae is home to a neurotoxin called domoic acid which small fish like krill feed off of. Subsequently, both fin and humpback whales eat krill.
If ingested in large amounts the toxin could lead to brain damage, seizures and death, CTV reports.
Whales are not the only creatures being affected by harmful blooms.
My video a few months ago described the eastern Pacific “Blob” of warm water, and its effects on weather and wildlife.
Let’s see. We have whales, seals, crabs, and clams all showing increased levels of damage from domoic acid produced by algal blooms caused by climate change and we’re still trying to “figure it out”? Have they forgotten about bioaccumulation?
The reluctance of some scientists to speak out is shameful. Perhaps they’re waiting for “incontrovertible proof”? Like when every last living thing along that coast dies and washes up on the beach?
(PS Krill are not “fish”—they’re crustaceans and resemble shrimp and lobsters)