Scientists Discover Ash and Debris from LA Fires 100 Miles at Sea
Researchers conducting water tests near a Navy missile testing range on San Nicolas Island detected ash in the waters just a day after the devastating fires began.
Ash and debris from the extensive Los Angeles wildfires that have been raging since January 7 were discovered in waters 100 miles off California’s coast, as reported by researchers.
A team aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel Reuben Lasker was executing tests near a sampling station past the island on January 8, shortly after the fires began.
“Witnessing what looked like snow falling—only to realize it was ash—was truly unsettling,” commented Rasmus Swalethorp, biological oceanographer and the ship’s operations director at the Scripps Institution. “It felt apocalyptic; I can only imagine the experience on land.”
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The ship and crew gathered samples of ash from both the surface and approximately 330 feet deep in the adjacent waters.
The island remains closed to the general public.
NOAA adjusted the vessel’s trajectory to monitor the potential impacts the ash and debris may have on the marine ecosystem.
The origin of the ash and debris provides scientists with a “unique opportunity” to analyze the fallout from urban sources containing household chemicals, building materials, and other substances, researchers noted.
“Our goal is to understand the implications of this for West Coast fisheries and the food web, which we all rely on,” stated Nicolas Concha-Saiz, NOAA Fisheries’ chief scientist for this investigation.
The ship revisited the site to resample the most affected areas located in and just off Santa Monica Bay.
The level of debris observed and its source raise concerns, according to Julie Dinasquet, project leader at Scripps Oceanography.
“These fires are consuming not just vegetation but enormous amounts of urban infrastructure,” Dinasquet pointed out.
This results in “urban ash” from the wildfire source, which is laden with highly toxic materials such as lead, arsenic, asbestos fibers, and microplastics, posing serious threats to public health and ecosystems.
NOAA Fisheries’ scientists will keep a close watch on the ocean’s health, particularly monitoring how these contaminants might impact fisheries and marine life, including anchovy eggs, which are plentiful in the waters downwind from the fires.
The team collected samples prior to and following exposure of the eggs to ash and debris, aiming to document any changes in egg quantities and the fires’ impact on early development, as detailed in the report.
“We have diligently preserved samples that hold invaluable data,” expressed Noelle Bowlin, a NOAA Fisheries’ director in California. “Whenever a question arises, we can investigate the samples to identify any changes.”
Sea water collected off the California coast by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and NOAA will be tested for affects from ash and debris falling from the recent Los Angeles County fires. Rasmus Swalethorp, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
Further testing will identify traces of toxic substances in the tissues of plankton and larger fish, according to the report.
Scientists anticipate that the ash and debris could be more detrimental to the environment and ecosystem compared to the fallout from the 2020 LNU Lightning Complex fires, which caused ash to cascade into Monterey Bay, as stated by oceanography doctoral student Dante Capone, who analyzed the aftermath of that wildfire. The LNU Lightning Complex fire is recognized as one of California’s largest wildfires.
