Until recently, the kelp forests of Northern California were home to hundreds of marine species, including whales, seals, octopuses and sharks.
Now they’re the scene of a plague, a zombie urchin invasion and a mass deforestation. cnn.it/3A6qjtI
Now they’re the scene of a plague, a zombie urchin invasion and a mass deforestation. cnn.it/3A6qjtI
A marine heat wave in 2013 helped spread a disease that devastated the population of sunflower starfish that lived among the kelp.
Without them, purple sea urchins spread unchecked, feasting on the kelp forest and leaving a barren moonscape behind. cnn.it/3flp3v1
Without them, purple sea urchins spread unchecked, feasting on the kelp forest and leaving a barren moonscape behind. cnn.it/3flp3v1
Now, just 5% of the kelp forest remains. The loss has mobilized a coalition of researchers, non-profits, and urchin divers in a desperate race to protect the remaining kelp forests and rebalance the ecosystem before it’s too late. cnn.it/3ynBRs3
Experts are calling it a “climate-driven catastrophe” -- an example of how global warming is threatening not only the health of the ocean and the marine life within it, but also its ability to absorb carbon and help regulate climate change. cnn.it/2WQyYlS
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