Thousands of starfish have washed up dead after the 'Beast from the East' – here's why
March 6, 2018 by Coleen Suckling, The Conversation
Many Europeans have been assessing the damage from the recent wintery weather dramatically nicknamed the "Beast from the East". But people visiting certain parts of the English coast found a particularly unwelcome surprise. Thousands of dead starfish and other sea creatures were washed up along the shores in Kent and East Yorkshire, creating surreal scenes reminiscent of post-apocalyptic horror movies. So how did a blizzard cause such marine destruction?
Mass starfish strandings aren't completely unheard of. For example, several million were found on the coast of Worcester County, Maryland, USA in 1960. Up to 10,000 were found along the strandline on the Isle of Man in the British Isles in 1999. And 50,000 were stranded on the Irish coastline in 2009.
Read more at:
https://phys.org/news/2018-03-thousands-starfish-dead-beast-east.html#jCp
