A Surge of Marine Heat Waves Threatens to Scramble Ocean Life

Jim Robbins,  Contributing Writer  -  Yale Environment 360Stephan: Governments in general, and most notably the Trump fascist administration, should be joining together to do eveything possible to prepare for, and lessen, the coming climate change catastrophe. But none of that is happening, and the climate change trend is becoming ever more threatening. It is going to affect all the beings on Earth, from humans to fungi. Yet it's not even a discussion issue in the coming November election, but oh my, it is really going to affect your personal wellbeing. Marine heat waves in August. Warmer colors indicate greater severity. Credit: NOAA An estimated 82 percent of the world’s oceans are currently experiencing marine heat waves. The common octopus is a warm water species that usually lives in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean. But last year, octopus larvae hitchhiked across the English Channel attached to plankton, resulting in an octopus bloom off England’s coast. This year, the bloom is the largest it’s been in 75 years. Normally, octopus larvae that drift into cold waters die. But this year’s bloom, experts say, is the result of an unusually intense marine heat wave off of Devon and Cornwall, which raised water temperatures up to 9 degrees F above normal. The change in species has been a boon for local fishers selling octopus into the lucrative European export market. (Octopus landings along the U.K.’s southwest coast were roughly 7,700 percent higher than usual in 2025.) And while the invasion has slashed the catch of scallops, lobster, and crab, it has boosted numbers of seals, conger eels, [...]Read the Full Article »