Abstract
The results of space monitoring of an extreme ecological situation near Kamchatka Peninsula, which was responsible for a mass death of hydrobionts in autumn 2020, are presented. The analysis of long-term series of satellite data (>15 000 scenes) on sea surface temperature (from 1981 to 2020) and concentration of chlorophyll a (from 2000 to 2020) showed strong positive temperature anomalies (deviations from a climate norm 3–6°C) in the studied region in July–September 2020, which resulted in anomalous increase in the concentration of chlorophyll a (5–8 times higher than the background values) in the end of September–the beginning of October 2020. As a result, a significantly changed biogenic regime led to harmful bloom of algae (red tide), which caused death of hydrobionts both in Avacha Bay and coastal regions of the entire Kamchatka Peninsula.
Highlights
An extraordinary mass death of hydrobionts and unnatural color and odor of oceanic water were reported in September–October 2020 near Kamchatka Peninsula including Avacha Bay in the area of the Khalaktyrka beach
The positive sea surface temperatures (SST) anomalies, which exceed the climate normal by 3–6°C, were registered in vast areas along the entire Kamchatka Peninsula. This indicates that environmental disaster near the Kamchatka Peninsula, which led to mass death of hydrobionts in autumn 2020, has natural origin and is related to the increase in harmful bloom of algae, which was caused by significant positive temperature anomalies in the studied water regions in summer of 2020
The long-term series of satellite and other data on the concentrations of chlorophyll a and SST are analyzed on the basis of results of space monitoring in Avacha Bay and coastal water regions of the entire Kamchatka Peninsula, where the environmental disaster related to mass death of hydrobionts occurred in autumn of 2020
Summary
An extraordinary mass death of hydrobionts and unnatural color and odor of oceanic water were reported in September–October 2020 near Kamchatka Peninsula including Avacha Bay in the area of the Khalaktyrka beach. The analysis of data shown in this figure indicates that no such high average monthly concentrations of chlorophyll a (as in the end of September and the beginning of October 2020) were observed in the Avacha Bay beginning from 2000.
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