Editor’s note: Millions of marine creatures may have perished in the Discovery Island’s during the 2021 heat dome. Their remains covered the beaches at places like Smelt Bay, Mansons Lagoon and Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island. Dr. Chris Harley, from UBC, initially told the media that more than a billion mussels, clams, sea stars and other invertebrates may have cooked to death in the area between Campbell River and Washington state. The article that follows cites his initial estimate. As more data became available, Harley revised that figure to possibly as many as 10 billion.
By Hope Lompe, National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Some plants and animals are better off than they were before the 2021 heat dome, despite a week of record-breaking heat intensity across Western North America.
In a study of approximately 50 species, researchers from across Canada found more than three quarters were negatively affected by the heat dome, while about 25 per cent actually saw a positive outcome.
Continue reading Some species benefited from BC’s 2021 heat dome — but at an enormous cost, study finds
