The devastating fires in Los Angeles have numerous secondary effects as scientists are finding out now off the coast of Southern California.
The devastating fires in Los Angeles have numerous secondary effects as scientists are finding out now off the coast of Southern California.
Researchers from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center were collecting samples off the California Coast when the Palisades, Eaton and other fires broke out. The smoke that billowed from those fires dropped ash and debris that coated the ocean surface as much as 160 kilometers (100 miles) offshore.
The ship and its crew began collecting samples of the ash from the deck and the surrounding waters. NOAA has adjusted the ship’s course to make use of the chance to revisit the area to track any effects on the marine ecosystem. The survey is part of the collaborative California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) program among the state of California, Scripps Oceanography and NOAA.
Read more at: University of California - San Diego
Charred debris collected in CalCOFI seawater samples. (Photo Credit: Rasmus Swalethorp)
