Sea Slime is Killing Birds in Pacific Northwest

by Barbara McPherson | November 2, 2009 at 09:49 am

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More bad news is coming in about climate change as the phenomenon of sea slime killing birds in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is reaching epidemic proportions. The sea slime is a naturally occurring event that happens when the nutrients and water temperature can support rapid alagal growth. This growth is known as a bloom. In this case the algae form frothy soap like scum on the water. It interferes with the waterproofing that sea birds have and exposes them to the cold water.

Slimed birds beach themselves in order to escape the cold water, but succumb to hypothermia and predation by eagles and hawks.

Research suggests that recently, the blooms are larger, lasting longer, and happening with greater frequency.

(Related: "Giant, Mucus-Like Sea Blobs on the Rise, Pose Danger.")

For instance the first time the 40-year-old rescue center treated slime-affected birds was in 2007.

Warming sea temperatures due to global warming could be a link, Holcomb added.

"They are finding that the [nutrient] upwelling is happening at different times of the year than it used to," he said, "and that's because currents and weather are changing."

Another algal bloom that causes problems in the Pacific Northwest is Red Tide. This bloom of dinoflagellates causes paralytic shellfish poisoning in animals with backbones, including humans.

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