Oceans around the world are hotter than ever before in the record-keeping era – and those high temps have now reached the Pacific Northwest.
Colin McCarthy, an atmospheric scientist and extreme weather influencer tweeted that “[o]ne of the most intense marine heatwaves on Earth has developed off the West Coast of the US, with water temperatures peaking nearly 5°C (9°F) above normal.”
The marine heatwave off the coasts of Oregon and Washington has reached “extreme” levels, an event that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ranks a Category 4 on a scale of 5.
Average ocean temperatures around the world reached 70 degrees in spring of 2023, the highest ever recorded.
In July, the Associated Press reported that sea surface temperatures rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit at a spot off Florida’s southern tip.
Warming oceans cause stronger storms, rising sea levels and the loss of coral reefs and other marine life, according to according to the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information as reported by the AP.
In the Pacific Northwest, those immediate impacts include higher temperatures on land, algal blooms off the coast, and warmer rivers. The water temperature in Astoria where the Columbia River meets the Pacific was 72.5 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday -- nearly 2.5 degrees higher than average, according to NOAA.
Algal blooms are a particular problem for marine environments and can impact fishing and food sources in the Northwest.
Razor clam harvests are closed throughout most of the north and central Oregon coast due to high levels of domoic acid toxins -- a common result of algae blooms in warming waters. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife provides information online on clam, crab, and mussel biotoxin closures in the state.
Jerry Borchert, who oversees marine biotoxin monitoring for Washington state told the Seattle Times that domoic acid toxins are already nearing unsafe levels in razor clam populations in that state.
When razor clams become toxic with domoic acid, they hold onto it for a very long time, Borchert told the paper.
“And then we potentially have a problem with Dungeness crab,” Borchert said. Razor clams are one of Dungeness crabs’ favorite meals.
Oregon’s commercial crabbing industry has suffered delays due to domoic acid toxins from algal blooms more frequently in recent years. At the moment, crabbing appears to be open on the Oregon coast for commercial fishing and sport fishing, though the impact of the current marine heatwave remains unknown.
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