Scientists found a large patch of water in the Pacific that was hotter than it should be based on its location and time of year.
They christened it 'The Blot' – and later identified climate change as the cause.
Now, new research has identified what may be the hot water reservoir's biggest casualty: a species of seabird known as the guillemot.
COASST
For this new study, published in the journal PLOS One, scientists at the University of Washington, the US Geological Survey and other agencies have determined that approximately 62,000 birds were washed ashore from central California to Alaska between the summer of 2015 and the spring of 2016.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN THERE IS A 'DESERT' AND NOW WE KNOW WHO LIVES THERE
In some places, the number of carcasses was 1000 times the norm. In total, the researchers estimated that a million birds died during the time period they studied, making this the largest mass mortality of seabirds in human history.
In the course of their research, the team determined that the hot water layer affected the ecosystem of the Pacific Ocean so badly that the seabirds were left without a food source.
