The Big Murre Die-Off: What Happened After a Marine Heatwave?

You might have heard that marine heatwaves can mess things up in our oceans. But did you know they can hit seabirds hard too? Let's talk about Alaska's common murres. After an intense marine heatwave, these birds didn't fare so well. In Alaska, we're talking about a loss of roughly half the common murre population. Before the heatwave, from 2008 to 2014, things were looking good. But after 2016, the numbers dropped significantly—like, really dropped. We're talking a decrease of 52 to 78% across 13 colonies in two big marine ecosystems. That's not just a few birds; it's millions.

Scientists calculated a loss of around 4 million common murres. That's a big deal because it's the largest wildlife mortality event recorded in modern times. And guess what? There's no sign of recovery yet. Which makes you think, could these ecosystems support the historic number of these seabirds anymore? Maybe not. It's a sad reality, but a crucial one to consider when thinking about the impact of marine heatwaves.

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