Affiliation:
1. Department of Biology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5, Canada
Abstract
Contemporary climate change is increasing the occurrence of extreme weather events, heat waves being common examples. Here, we present visual evidence of mass bleaching in intertidal seaweeds following an unusually severe cold snap in Atlantic Canada. In February 2023, the air temperature on the Nova Scotia coast dropped below −20 °C for the first time in at least ten years. Such extreme temperatures lasted for several hours at low tide and were followed by extensive bleaching in whole thalli of the canopy-forming algae Chondrus crispus and Corallina officinalis. The loss of these foundation species might negatively impact intertidal biodiversity.
Funder
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Subject
Nature and Landscape Conservation,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous),Ecological Modeling,Ecology
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