Scientific American: Gray whales are washing up dead on the West Coast. The reason is alarming.

Sept 9 - As of mid-August, 187 gray whales have been found dead this year along the West Coast, from Mexico to Alaska. Scientists have scrambled to investigate, hoping to prevent further deaths in a species that has been in decline for years—gray whales lost 35 percent of their population between 2020 and 2025. As scientists gather more evidence, it is becoming increasingly apparent that gray whales are starving to death. The reason why lies in the changing environment of the Arctic Ocean. When the algae die, they fall through the water column to the seafloor, where they feed the crustaceans that gray whales eat. But with Arctic temperatures skyrocketing, the sea ice is melting earlier and faster, disrupting the food web the whales rely on. Important details HERE.