Ocean heat killed half of population of Alaskan bird species: Report

(NewsNation) — In what is considered the largest documented wildlife mortality event in the modern era, a heating ocean wiped out half of Alaska's common murre seabird population, a new study found.

Scientists have noticed an increase in marine heatwaves, which are periods of warmer-than-usual ocean waters. A study published in the journal "Science" on Thursday assesses how marine heatwaves have impacted wildlife.

Researchers found a loss of four million common murres in Alaska during a heatwave period between 2014 and 2016.

"Recent population abundance estimates since then have found no evidence of recovery, suggesting that the heatwave may have led to an ecosystem shift," the authors wrote.

Researchers point to human-driven climate change as the cause of the increased ocean temperatures.

The study looked at heatwaves between 2008-2014 and 2016-2022.

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