![]() Some beaches appeared to be almost completely unaffected by heat-related impacts, at least in the immediate term. Some pocket areas on beaches and certain species were spared from mass die-off’s. So, many areas and many species were affected, but very little has been quantified to date.Īlso, as with a forest fire, not everything died and not all beaches experienced the same impacts. Marine life likely experienced the extreme temperatures in the water through the heat retained in sediments, on the surface of the sediment while the tide was out, via incoming tide water heated by the sun, and as it flowed over hot sediment and rocks-a phenomenon observed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on previous hot days that coincided with extreme low tides. In some places, the effect is similar to a forest fire that has swept through the intertidal area at the peak of the heat each day, for six days, killing much in its path. This is possibly the first documented shellfish mortality event of this magnitude in modern times. The event is being considered a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence because of the coincidence of record high temperatures and midday extreme low tides, leading to unusually high lethal effects on intertidal sea life. It may be a month or more before we see the full extent of loss. Mortalities are continuing to unfold and attempts to document continuing impacts are ongoing. In some areas, even the hearty barnacle perished in large numbers. Many sand dollars and shore crabs that were not in intertidal seeps or tide pools also died, with many observed to be floating at the surface of the water. Moon snails were noted to be extended from their shells, desiccating and dead or dying in some areas. Many mussels along the tidelands and on rocks died (however, mussels on pilings and on rafts and floats in some areas appeared to fare better). Some Pacific and Olympia oysters initially appeared to survive the heat but died in subsequent days, perhaps weakened by the extreme temperatures and unable to recover. ![]() Surfaced clams were observed to be gaping, a sign of stress, or had already died from the effects of the heat. Manila clams were also impacted in some areas. On many beaches, species such as cockles, varnish clams, butter clams, and native littleneck clams-normally buried out of sight-popped to the surface of the substrate in large numbers. The record-breaking heat that hit the Pacific Northwest from June 23 to 28, 2021, caused harm to many intertidal shellfish and invertebrate species on Washington beaches. Washington Applied Sustainability Internship.
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