A heat wave may have boiled shells off the coast of British Columbia: More than a billion marine animals were killed in an unprecedented heat wave last week off Canada’s Pacific coast, MTI reports.
The so-called thermal dome, which covered western Canada and the northwestern United States for five days, raised temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius along the coast, breaking longstanding records, the Guardian wrote online.
It is estimated that the intense heat killed about 500 people in British Columbia and played a role in hundreds of wildfires that have yet to be extinguished.
However, scientists say the heat has had a really devastating effect on marine life. Christopher Harley, a marine biologist at the University of British Columbia, estimates that more than a billion marine animals may have died in the unusual heat.
Experts say the province needs to adapt to sudden and persistent heat waves expected in the future as a result of climate change. Next week, another heat wave could hit the western United States and southwestern Canada. Experts warn of the vulnerability of ecosystems that are not adapted to extremely high temperatures.
