The entire global ocean is warming, but some parts of it are changing much faster than others – like a hot spot off Uruguay that was first identified by scientists in 2012. There, researchers have observed mass die-offs of clams, dangerous ocean heat waves and algal blooms, and changes in Uruguay’s fish catch.
The South Atlantic region is part of a global trend: Around the planet, enormous ocean currents are traveling to new locations. As they relocate, waters are growing warmer.
“Scientists have basically correlated the clam decline and a lot of other things that have happened at the same time with the really quick warm-up of temperatures that have happened in this region,” says environmental reporter Chris Mooney.
He and data reporter John Muyskens have been examining how temperatures have changed around the world since the late 1800s.
Mooney, along with photographer Carolyn Van Houten, met clammers directly affected by climate change in Barra del Chuy, Uruguay. Out on the sand, the harvesters demonstrated how difficult it has become for them to maintain their traditions and livelihoods as the clams die out.
“People essentially live off the fruits of the sea,” Van Houten says. “That’s a very long-standing thing for people to do. But it has received quite a jolt in this region. And it’s not clear that it will ever be the same.”
Listen to The Washington Post podcast - “The ‘South Atlantic blob’: The vulnerability of the world’s warming oceans.”
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