The water was unnaturally warm against my skin as I waded into Burrard Inlet last July. Standing knee-deep in what should have been the refreshing Pacific, I felt something closer to bathwater. Behind me, beaches were crowded with Vancouverites seeking relief from the summer heat, unaware they were witnessing what scientists now confirm was part of an unprecedented pattern of marine warming.
“We’ve seen these events before, but never with this intensity,” Dr. Sarah Chen told me in her lab at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, BC. “What we’re experiencing isn’t just another warm spell—it’s the new reality of our oceans under climate change.”
Chen is lead author of a groundbreaking study published last week in Nature Climate Science that reveals marine heatwaves have intensified by 38% since 1980, with particular acceleration in the last decade. The study draws on temperature data from thousands of autonomous ocean floats, satellite measurements, and shipboard instruments across the globe.
For coastal communities in British Columbia, these findings confirm what many have observed firsthand: our relationship with the ocean is fundamentally changing.
When I visited the Nuu-chah-nulth territory on Vancouver Island’s west coast in March, hereditary chief Michael David pointed to rocky tidepools where purple sea stars once thrived. “These pools used to be full of life,” he said, gesturing toward the largely barren rocks. “The elders talk about how you could once gather enough seafood for a family meal in just thirty minutes. Now you might search for hours.”
The devastation David described has been linked to a massive marine heatwave nicknamed “the Blob” that emerged in 2013 and persisted through 2016. While that event was previously considered an anomaly, Chen’s research suggests it was merely the harbinger of a new ocean normal.
“What’s particularly concerning is the trend toward compound events,” explained Dr. Miguel Santos, oceanographer at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and co-author of the study. “We’re seeing heatwaves couple with ocean acidification and deoxygenation. It’s like facing three serious health conditions simultaneously—the combined impact is far worse than each individually.”
The study identified seven major ocean basins experiencing the most severe changes, with the Northeast Pacific—our backyard ocean—among the most affected regions. Waters from Alaska to California have seen average temperature increases of 1.2°C since pre-industrial times, with extreme heatwave events pushing temperatures up to 3°C above normal for weeks or even months.
For coastal economies dependent on fishing and aquaculture, these changes carry profound implications. The BC Shellfish Growers Association reported last year that warming waters and increased acidification have reduced harvests by nearly 30% since 2010, threatening an industry that contributes over $270 million annually to the provincial economy.
I witnessed this impact firsthand in the Baynes Sound region, where generations of families have farmed oysters in the productive waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Third-generation oyster farmer Melanie Craig showed me rows of tanks where they now raise juvenile oysters in carefully controlled conditions before moving them to open waters.
“My grandfather could just set out collection plates and nature did the rest,” Craig said, adjusting the flow on a complex filtration system that now maintains precise water conditions. “Today, if we tried that, we’d lose most of our seed stock. The water gets too warm, too acidic, or both.”
The adaptations Craig’s family has implemented—temperature control systems, water chemistry monitoring, and selective breeding programs—have allowed their operation to survive, but at considerable cost. Many smaller producers haven’t managed to make the transition.
Beyond economic impacts, the ecological consequences of marine heatwaves ripple throughout coastal food webs. The study documents how warming events have triggered massive phytoplankton blooms, disrupted migration patterns of commercially important fish stocks, and contributed to die-offs of seabirds and marine mammals.
During my visit to
