On a late December afternoon, Rebecca Johnson hovered over a small pool, pointing her camera at a plump starfish beneath the surface.The red-speckled leather star was visible, thanks in part to this month’s King Tides, a biannual phenomenon that pares back the Pacific, revealing a slippery patchwork of tidepools crammed full of sea anemones, hermit crabs and small fish along California’s coastline.
While some, like the ochre star, have steadily rebounded, gripping the rocks with their violet and orange arms, others, like the sunflower star or pycnopodia, have been noticeably absent. “We used to see them at Pillar Point,” said Johnson, who has been working in the area for over 20 years. “It was always such an amazing treat. They were this beautiful purple-pinkish color.”
Climate change may be partially to blame. Scientists found that the disease killed more stars faster where seawater temperatures were warmer, suggesting that disease severity may correlate with warming waters. “When I first found it, it was almost like on the aggression toward the line of purple urchins,” Downie told The Examiner. “It was lifting some of its feet and almost trying to brush over the urchins. I physically saw the purples climbing away from it.”