In June 2013, Steve Fradkin hiked the rugged coast of Washington State’s Olympic National Park to count the stars. In the summertime, the lowest tides expose the slippery rocks of the intertidal zone from daybreak until noon. Perfect conditions for spotting Pisaster ochraceus, the five-armed purple, orange and red sea stars common to Pacific waters along the western edge of the United States. Continue reading The wasting of the stars: A look into the largest ocean epidemic in recorded history
The waters of the northeast Pacific have been warmer than normal since the fall of 2013. The reasons why are still being investigated by many, but the scale and intensity of this phenomenon make it unlike anything observed before. Scientists currently believe that the cause of the warm ocean waters is that they simply didn’t cool off like they were supposed to in the fall and winter of 2013-2014.