Sea Star Wasting Disease Threatens Pacific Marine Ecosystems
Scientists studying the Pacific coast have documented a severe outbreak of Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) that began in 2013 and spread from Alaska to Baja California. The disease has killed millions of sea stars, affecting more than twenty species, including the key predator sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides). The loss of this predator has triggered a surge in sea urchin populations, leading to extensive kelp‑forest loss.
Researchers from the Multi‑Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are coordinating long‑term monitoring. Their work combines environmental DNA sampling, microbiological studies, genomic analyses and satellite sea‑surface‑temperature data to uncover the biological and environmental drivers of the disease, with climate change and viral agents under investigation.
Entities: MARINe · NOAA · Pycnopodia helianthoides · Sea Star Wasting Disease · USGS
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The disease is characterized by lesions, tissue loss, deformation and disintegration of sea stars.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sea Star Wasting Disease began in 2013 and spread along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is a key predator whose decline led to a rise in sea urchin numbers that damage kelp forests.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Climate change and new genetic tools are being investigated as possible contributors to the disease.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Researchers from MARINe, USGS and NOAA are collaborating to monitor the disease using eDNA, microbiology, genomics and satellite sea‑surface‑temperature data.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Millions of sea stars died and more than twenty species were affected by the disease.