Shoreline temperatures in July reached above 120 degrees in the Pacific Northwest, breaking all heat records. Intertidal animals such as clams and mussels can only endure high temperatures for a short period of time, but during the heat wave, those unlucky animals may have been exposed to the shoreline heat in the mid-afternoon when tides were lowest, trapping them on land for more than six hours.
These creatures are part of the food chain necessary to provide nutrition for ducks and starfish. Population of the sea creatures should rebound in a year or two, but more frequent and more severe heat waves could have a more lasting impact on their numbers. The last heat wave to kill shellfish in this way was in 2019, when thousands of mussels were cooked to death in Bodega Bay. These events seem to be coming more frequently and more intensely.
If we don't like it, we need to work harder to reduce emissions and take other measures to reduce the effects of climate change.
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