Tag Archives: Marine Life

Gray whales off the Oregon coast have been shrinking over the past 2 decades – OPB’s Think Out Loud

A population of gray whales that feed off the Oregon coast have been shrinking in size over the last 20 years. New research from Oregon State University shows that whales born in 2020 are expected to be more than 13% shorter when full grown than whales born before 2000. The shrinkage could bring significant reproductive […]
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Unlikely Wild Animals Are Being Smuggled Into U.S. Ports: Corals 

State Library Ed. Note: If you cannot access this story directly from the source, state employees can access this New York Times story HERE via the State Library’s subscription to the US Newstream database. Alternatively, state employees can contact us for access: LibraryHelp.SLO@slo.oregon.gov or 503-378-8800.

Marine ecosystems facing unprecedented stress

Researchers document impacts of cascading events. The baby sea star looked like a strange gray flower, tucked in the dark purple “y” of an adult sea star’s arms. A crowd of people crouched in the sand near the rocks for a closer look. They were volunteers with a sea star monitoring project in Oswald West […]
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Climate change is causing low-oxygen levels in Pacific Northwest ocean, report says

A recent report out of Oregon State University paints a picture of how ocean oxygen levels have decreased in the Pacific Northwest over the years. The report found near-bottom levels of dissolved oxygen in the waters off of Washington, Oregon and Northern California in 2021. JPR’s Roman Battaglia talked to Jack Barth, professor of oceanography […]
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Why decimated kelp forests affect gray whales, too

There is supposed to be kelp growing on the ocean floor, close to the Oregon coast. But many a kelp forest has been decimated by purple sea urchins, munching away on the leafy greens, with no predators in sight. It’s not a good situation for creatures that depend upon the kelp forests, and it turns […]
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Climate change devastating to some marine species, OSU study indicates

Certain species failed to recover after a near record heat wave that stretched from Alaska to Baja California and an epidemic that decimated certain starfish populations. Marine plants and animals on the Pacific Coast have been hit by an epidemic and devastating heat wave over the past decade, and some have not bounced back, a […]
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Oregon tide pools struggle to cope with climate change, Oregon State University study shows

Ocean life found in Oregon and Northern California’s tide pools is struggling to recover from a 15-year heat wave brought on by climate change, a new study conducted by Oregon State University researchers shows. Ochre and sunflower sea stars, plus different species of kelp, have failed to return to normal population levels along the rocky […]
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West Coast universities launch new Pacific offshore wind collaborative

Wave energy experts from Oregon State University will contribute to research, public information around marine ecosystem impacts. Three West Coast universities located near future offshore wind energy sites are joining forces to undertake research and to help inform the public about the benefits and potential impacts of the new industry. Source: West Coast universities launch […]
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Study: Sea urchins driving gray whales from Oregon

A new study from Oregon State University has found that a rising purple sea urchin population off the southern Oregon Coast has had a negative impact on the gray whales usually in the area. According to the study, the overpopulation of sea urchins can devour kelp forests that hold zooplankton, which are the primary prey […]
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Rare deep-sea fish washes up on Oregon beach

It always pays to keep one eye on the ocean and one eye on the sand when you’re walking along the beach at the Oregon Coast, a lesson reinforced by some Cannon Beach beachcombers who discovered a rare deep-sea angler fish known as a Pacific football fish (Himantoliphus sagamius) south of town on Saturday. Source: […]
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