Hundreds of puffins have been found dead on the coast of Alaska. The mass die-off could be due to climate change, and the puffins could be starving.
Hundreds of puffins were found dead on the shores of an Alaskan island. The mass die-off could be due to and the puffins could have died of starvation.
Alaska is only the most recent of the cases observed worldwide in recent years. What's going on? The puffins shouldn't even have been in Alaska according to their normal migratory routes but in recent years it seems that their path has changed and that they have begun to land on the island of Saint Paul and then head south to winter.
According to the experts who monitor the island, puffins shouldn't have been in Alaska at this time of year. At the beginning of October some sightings of puffins began and in mid-October there was the beginning of one progressive death which has led to the sighting of at least a dozen dead birds every day.
Finding two or three dead puffins this season is normal, but now the sad phenomenon has hit too many and has gone beyond expectations. At least 250 lifeless puffins have now been found on the island of Saint Paul.
The fear is that such a death could be a signal of collapse of ecosystems of the Bering Sea, whose waters bathe the coasts of the island. Seals, killer whales and whales live here, and they too are at risk. The causes of death are being investigated. Climate change is probably one of the main reasons.
The rise in temperatures in Alaska last summer was anomalous to say the least. For the puffins living in the Gulf of Maine it was the worst breeding season ever. In 2013 in the solo Scotland the death of puffins has affected ben 2500 specimens. Data that makes us understand the gravity of the situation all over the world.
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Experts think mass deaths indicate gods major changes in marine ecosystems. Such changes would be associated with the warming of ocean waters and they would be so deep that they really threaten many species.
Action must be taken now to stem climate change!
Marta Albè
Photo source: Wikipedia
