California
Southern California Is the Whale-Skeleton Capital of the World
The discovery of dozens of remains off the coast of Los Angeles is stumping scientists.
This article was originally published by Hakai Magazine.
A pair of scientific surveys recently turned up a few surprises on the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles. First, there were the thousands of naval weapons. And then, researchers found the remains of whales—seven confirmed and likely more than 60 total skeletons in the dark depths, a phenomenon known as “whale fall.”
Eric Terrill and Sophia Merrifield, oceanographers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD who led the surveys in 2021 and 2023, had set out to assess waste scattered across 135 square miles of seafloor encompassing the San Pedro Basin. The area—twice the size of Washington, D.C., and centered about 15 miles offshore—had been used as an industrial dumping ground in the early to mid-1900s. A large number of the objects the survey found turned out to be barrels containing the banned pesticide DDT and its toxic byproducts.
Before this effort, scientists had found only about 50 whale falls in all the world’s oceans since 1977, when a deep-sea naval vessel spotted the first specimen off Santa Catalina Island, near Los Angeles. When these large marine mammals die and sink, they form biological oases on the resource-poor seafloor. Whale falls provide nourishment and even habitat for a wide range of creatures—from scavenging hagfish and sleeper sharks to microbes, mussels, clams, worms, nematodes, crabs, and members of the jellyfish family.
Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography who helped with the surveys, says that the remains belong to gray, blue, humpback, fin, sperm, and minke whales. The number of skeletons is “higher than I would have expected, based on our regional calculations,” by a factor of three to five, says Craig Smith, a professor emeritus of oceanography at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa who led the first-ever expedition to study a whale fall in the late 1980s, but who wasn’t directly involved in the new survey. Smith has published estimates of how many whale carcasses would likely be found in various locations, including off North America’s west coast. Those estimates are based in part on the assumption that whale falls last an average of 12 years before disintegrating or being covered by sediment. But even if they stick around for up to 70 years, Smith says, “you still don’t get up to the densities we’re seeing in the San Pedro Basin.”
One potential explanation is simply that “this is the highest-resolution survey in an area of this size ever done,” says Smith. Understanding the typical number of whale falls across oceans would require conducting similar high-resolution surveys elsewhere. A lack of oxygen in the water also likely contributed to the number of intact skeletons. The basin’s deep trough plunges down 2,600 feet and is surrounded by sills that discourage mixing with more oxygenated waters. That leaves oxygen-poor zones where the microbial and biological processes that break down whale bones proceed very slowly, Smith says. For example, when Terrill and others used underwater autonomous vehicles to collect photos, videos, and other data from seven of the carcasses in 2023, they found no bone-eating worms—red creatures with feather-like gills that are among the most common denizens of whale falls—coating the skeletons. Another factor in the number of visible whale falls may be that no rivers flow into the ocean nearby, so there’s less sediment input to cover up sunken objects.
Researchers think it’s unlikely that the toxic waste and weapons dumped here played a part in killing the whales, but the area is heavily trafficked by ships, and it’s possible that more whales die here by ship strike than in other places. The United States’ two busiest ports—in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California—are just northeast of the study site, with shipping lanes extending throughout the region. Meanwhile, thousands of gray whales migrate through each year, and blue whales feed here regularly, says John Calambokidis, a marine biologist at Cascadia Research Collective, a nonprofit based in Washington State.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers plan to eventually return with a remotely operated vehicle to collect more photos and videos of the whale falls, which will help them confirm which species are among the dead and potentially reveal signs of ship-strike trauma. Smith and Rouse would also like to retrieve bone samples from the skeletons to determine how the whales died and learn more about their lives.
The abundant whale falls provide a concentrated opportunity to learn more about the food webs that these biological bounties support and the lives of the creatures that depend on them. They may also reveal more about the role decomposing whales play in the ocean’s carbon and nutrient cycle. If they last for many decades in other places beyond this basin, “the big oceanographic picture would be different,” says Rouse, because it would mean that these behemoths are transporting and sequestering more carbon on the seafloor than previously thought.
Winds fuel devastating Los Angeles wildfires growth
Firefighters are battling multiple blazes across Los Angeles, with some not contained at all.
Mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect Thursday morning as wildfires continued to rage across parts of Southern California.
The deadly fires broke out this week and have destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses, and other structures, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. As of Thursday morning, at least five deaths had been confirmed, and nearly 250,000 were without power in the region, according to the USA TODAY power outage tracker.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency this week as more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee homes and evacuate the area.
The fires − Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset − have burned thousands of acres and continue to spread due to humidity and dry vegetation, authorities said. Before the fires started, the National Weather Service issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
As of Thursday morning, Cal Fire reported the Palisades, Eaton, and Sunset fires were at zero containment, while firefighters had contained 10% of the Hurst Fire and 40% of the Lidia Fire.
Here’s where evacuation orders are in place for California and how to stay up-to-date on the latest.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Palisades Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place from Malibu to Santa Monica, including Topanga State Park and stretching into the city as far south as Montana Avenue, as of just after 4:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to Cal Fire.
Wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour are expected to continue through Thursday in that area, CAL Fire reported online, “potentially aiding in further fire activity and suppression efforts.”
View an interactive map of Palisades Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Hurst Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place for the San Fernando Valley, specifically at the Michael D. Antonovich Open Space Preserve, Stetson Ranch Park and Whitney Canyon Park, about 4:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation warnings were in place just north and south of the area.
View an interactive map of Hurst Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
What are the evacuation orders in place for the Lidia Fire?
As of just after 4 a.m. local time on Thursday, no evacuation orders were in effect in connection to the Lidia Fire.
But Soledad Canyon Road between Agua Dulce Canyon Road and Crown Valley Road remained closed, CAL FIRE reported, as well as the entire Angeles National Forest for public safety and the protection of natural resources. The forest will remain closed through Jan. 15 at midnight.
View an interactive map of Lidia Fire on the Cal Fire website.
What are the evacuation orders in place for the Sunset Fire?
“The majority of the evacuation zone for the Sunset Fire is lifted with the exception of the area North of Franklin Ave from Camino Palmero St (East border) to North Sierra Bonita Ave. (West border)”, according to Cal Fire.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Eaton Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place, as of about 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, for areas near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive, Altadena and Pasadena, Cal Fire reported.
Evacuation warnings were in place for areas just west and south of the area.
View an interactive map of Eaton Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
California
Jamie Lee Curtis fights back tears on ‘Tonight Show’ over California wildfire ‘catastrophe’ near her home: ‘It’s f–king gnarly, guys’
Jamie Lee Curtis fought back tears as she detailed the “catastrophe” of the Palisades Fire near her California home when she appeared on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday.
“As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally, the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning. I flew here last night. I was on the plane and started getting texts. It’s f–king gnarly, you guys,” Curtis said.
“It’s a catastrophe in Southern California. Obviously there has been horrific fires in many places. This is literally where I live. Everything.”
Curtis said she had “many, many, many” friends who have lost their homes in the devastation of the fires.
“It’s a really awful situation,” she added.
The 66-year-old added she was flying home first thing Thursday to be with her family and friends.
The Academy Award-winning actress, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband Christopher Guest, took to Instagram earlier Wednesday to share with her followers that her home was “possibly” on fire.
“My community and possibly my home is on fire,” the actress wrote in the post. “My family is safe. Many of my friends will lose their homes. Many other communities as well.”
“Take care of each other,” she told her followers. “Stay out of the way and let the firefighters do their work. Pray if you believe in it and even if you don’t, pray for those who do.”
Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires
The Emmy winner is one of tens of thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes in Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas.
Four fires have exploded in Los Angeles County, taking over 27,000 acres of land with zero containment in the Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires.
The Hurst Fire is 10 percent contained, officials announced.
The fires are being fueled by strong winds, “dry fuels” and low humidity.
The “Halloween” star isn’t the only Hollywood figure whose home is under threat due to the fires.
Harrison Ford was seen talking to police as he attempted to get through to check on his $12.6 million Brentwood home he had evacuated because of the raging blaze.
Ford’s “Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill was forced to flee his Malibu home Tuesday as the fire bore down on the area.
The 73-year-old actor detailed his hour-long “last minute” evacuation from Malibu as he experienced the most horrific fire since 1993.
Other LA-based celebrities have been forced to evacuate their homes amid the crisis, including “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore, “Schitt’s Creek” star Eugene Levy and “Once Upon a Time in America” actor James Woods.
Multiple major wildfires are leaving a trail of destruction and death in the Los Angeles area.
A handful of wildfires kicked up Tuesday, powered by high winds and dry conditions , and have exploded in size. As of Tuesday afternoon, 2 people have been killed and more than 80,000 people have been evacuated.
Follow live coverage here.
The maps below show the size and status of the fires. They will be updated frequently.
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