Thousands of seabirds hit by toxic algae

Last two weeks of October 2009 a gigantic algae bloom formed off the Oregon and Washington coasts. When the bloom hit the surf it broke down into a soap-like substance that stripped the waterproofing off of thousands of seabirds. Scoters, murres, loons, and grebes returning to their ocean homes from summer breeding were impacted. Many of these were juveniles & chicks. Getting water-logged and unable to stay warm, they headed for the beach. Over ten thousand birds were impacted.

Today, early November, the foam is mostly gone. A mid-September bloom also formed, though not as large. That bloom took over a thousand scoters. Ocean birds are facing the effects of ocean warming and all the pollution effects from human runoff. Algae blooms are known to form in lakes and in the ocean from agricultural, human waste, and other pollutant runoff that stimulates the algae's growth (runoff contains phosphorus and nitrogen). This along with a warmer ocean this last summer, it was is now thought to have caused this bloom.

A similar, though much smaller, event occurred in 06 in Monterey Bay. These events may be a signal as to what we can expect if the waters continue to warm every summer. Ocean acidification, the process of the oceans ph changing to be more acidic, is another threat to seabirds as this will affect their foods that have hard shells (the shells will break down). To help - switch to non-toxic soaps and encourage your community to reduce runoff.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• seabirds
• toxic algae
• bloom
• algae
• oregon coast
• murres
• loons
• scoters
• grebes
• migrating birds
• ocean
• pollution
• coasts

[NATIVEpridehope]

the water is POLLUTED..birds are having medical problems..i noticed a different behavior today..

[MyWildlifeVideos]

Thank you for making this video. Around 500 slimed birds were transferred to IBRRC in Fairfield, California. You can see a video of our hospital on my YT site. Our own volunteers and many volunteers from other wildlife centers came to IBRRC, working from 6 AM till past midnight to care for and wash these birds: about 80 people! The good news: many of these birds have now been released back into the wild.