The disastrous impacts of Climate Change in Vancouver, British Columbia
Climate change has been drastically influencing many unusual weather patterns and climate disasters all around us. One of the most recent climate change influenced ecological disaster I have learned about is with the keystone species, Pisaster (Sea Star). As climate change has been warming waters, many marine species are becoming hosts to disease. Warmer waters have been been inducing an epidemic known as sea star wasting syndrome. At first, skin lesions are the first telltale sign of an issue. The symptom is proceeded with limbs falling off and then the body begins to slowly disintegrate, collapsing in on itself and liquefying. A sea star ends up dissolving into a puddle on the ocean floor. Since Pisaster is a keystone species, sea urchins are taking over as they aren’t being hunted with the diminishing population sizes of sea stars. As sea urchins barrens are becoming more prevalent with succession, we are observing sea kelp, the prey of sea urchins being decimated. Since less sea kelp is present now, we are observing cascading effects in marine life. Greater amounts of sea kelp are associated with higher amounts of biodiversity. I found this to be an interesting phenomenon as varying temperatures have been inducing disease in not only marine life but also terrestrial life alike. In the midst of the COVID pandemic, scientists stated how our immune systems are weaker in colder temperature and we observe higher transmission rates in the colder months. It is hypothesized that the immune systems of Pisaster might be weaker when the sea stars get hot. I found it to be an interesting correlation how changing temperatures influence disease in both humans and animals alike. I share this story of Sea Star wasting disease since this is the story that personally for me, made me wake up and put climate change on my radar. I have now realized, climate is here and getting bigger than ever.
*The photos of this disease are so sad so I tried to find a photo in it’s early stages. If you are interested, look up photos on the disease*
Another reason why sea stars are so important to me is because I am from Vancouver, Canada and they primarily inhabit along the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. I have not been back to Vancouver since college started. It’s been three years and I had a flight yesterday that I had to cancel due to not realizing my passport had expired (sorry about the side story). Since I missed my vacation, the story became much more personal for me now as the Pacific Ocean and Sea Star remind me of my hometown. Vancouver on the other hand has been the forefront for many climate change events. Over the years, Vancouver has been experiencing intense weather events, primarily in the summer. Vancouver many times has experienced tsunami warmings. The most notable time I can remember is when our news had been flooded with a major tsunami warnings proceeding the 8.2 magnitude Alaska earthquake in 2021. The tsunami did not end up happening but Vancouver remains at very high risk for a 10-meter tsunami in an event of a mega thrust earthquake. In 1964, a tsunami had struck across the Pacific Ocean, causing damage along Vancouver Island’s west coast. The tsunami had unleashed after a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Alaska. What worries many West Coast individuals is the “Big one”. The “Big one” is an inevitable mega thrust earthquake (atleast 9.0 magnitude) that will hit the West Coast by 2030. The earthquake will of course be followed by a major tsunami. Growing evidence has been suggesting that Tsunamis and earthquakes are influenced by climate change. Since a good chunk of metro Vancouver has been built on flood plains, Vancouver has also been labeled as one of the most likely cities to be underwater due to climate change and rising sea levels. It is heartbreaking for such a beautiful city to have its fate to be destroyed. Beside these catastrophic events, Vancouver has been experiencing longer durations of rainfall with very little snow. Warmer temperatures, longer dry spells, and intense summer events have all been contributing to a decrease in agriculture.
Check out this plan by the city of Vancouver to create actionable steps. I have done a certificate in Public Policy since I am a firm believer that creating policy change is the largest step we can take to reduce climate change. We can always make conscious efforts to reduce our footprint, which are important but they only create a small-scale change. To create widespread change, I always recommend to follow your cities plan and contribute to local meetings. They are always willing to listen!!
https://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/vancouvers-climate-emergency.aspx
From this course, I have learned many interesting concepts regarding midwestern ecology. One thing that intrigued me in particular is learning about deer ticks. I often find myself telling others that something I learned from this course that deeply intrigues me is Chronic wasting disease. It was interesting to learn how the condition is from a prion and can induce spongiform encephalopathy in patients, which eventually leads to mortality within 18-24 months. Very little know about this forming epidemic and it was very interesting to learn about the manifestations that can occur from this disease. In general, the course was very well rounded in teaching us about how our own actions and behaviors can affect ecological health, plants, and animals. It was also intriguing to learn how this can in turn affect us. I had a blast in this course, the material spanned from a wide range of topics, from different types of forests to prion diseases to invasive species. In it’s entirety, I was able to complete my mission about learning more about my new hometown in the midwest.
Citations
City of Vancouver . (n.d.). Climate Projections for Metro Vancouver Regional District. City of Vancouver . Retrieved June 18, 2022, from http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/air-quality/AirQualityPublications/ClimateProjectionsForMetroVancouver.pdf
Communications and Marketing Branch. (2017, March 3). Alaska Earthquake Tsunami (1964). Government of Canada . Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/97277.html
Dangerfield, K. (2020, January 28). 'inevitable' 9.0 earthquake, tsunami will hit Canada's West Coast: Expert. Global News. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://globalnews.ca/news/3981536/tsunami-earthquake-canada-the-big-one/
Dembicki, G., & Fionda, F. (2021, October 28). World's 'Greenest City' will be totally unaffordable because of climate change. VICE. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kbpv9/vancouver-climate-change-flooding-worsens-affordability-crisis
Government of British Columbia. (2021, July 29). Update: No tsunami threat to BC after 8.2m earthquake detected southeast of Chignik, Alaska. July 29, 2021. EmergencyInfoBC. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/earthquake-july-28-2021/
Government of British Columbia. (2022, February 24). Ranking of which world cities will be underwater first puts Vancouver in the top 20. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved from https://bc.ctvnews.ca/ranking-of-which-world-cities-will-be-underwater-first-puts-vancouver-in-the-top-20-1.5794552
Hersher, R. (2019, January 30). Massive starfish die-off is tied to global warming. NPR. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2019/01/30/690003678/massive-starfish-die-off-is-tied-to-global-warming
Labbé, S. (2022, April 12). What will happen when a tsunami hits B.C.? Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/what-will-happen-when-a-tsunami-hits-bc-5255332
OpenMind BBVA. (2021, October 8). Will climate change trigger earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions?OpenMind BBVA. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/environment/climate-change-trigger-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanic-eruptions/
Province of British Columbia. (2022, April 28). Adapting to climate change. Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/agricultural-land-and-environment/climate-action/adapting-to-climate-change
This disease in sea stars is an issue in my area in Southern California as well. I remember learning about this in school and whenever I visited the tide pools, finding a sea star was a rarity. I thought it was very interesting how earthquakes and tsunamis can be affected by climate patterns. I had no idea there was an association between these phenomena. What specific evidence has been found to link plate tectonics to climate change? Is there a particular mechanism of ocean temperature that affects this?
ReplyDeleteHi Hassan!
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting to learn about the widespread effects of climate change. I had no idea that there is a possible link between climate change and earthquakes and tsunami and that is terrifying especially due to the drastic effects and destruction those can cause. I am curious as to how this connection is being studied, but I am very glad to see that there are policies and plans put in place so that the destruction and danger of these events can try to be mitigated.