While elevated seawater temperatures were not broadly linked to the initial emergence of SSWD, anomalously high seawater temperatures in 20 might have exacerbated the disease’s impact. ochraceus density, although these factors have been linked in other well-documented disease events. The degree of population decline was unrelated to pre-outbreak P. The intensity of the impact of SSWD was not uniform across the affected area, with proportionally greater population declines in the southern regions relative to the north. ochraceus in 20 across nearly the entire geographic range of the species. Quantitative surveys revealed unprecedented declines of P. We analyzed nearly two decades of data from a coordinated monitoring effort at 88 sites ranging from southern British Columbia to San Diego, California along with 2 sites near Sitka, Alaska to better understand the effects of sea star wasting disease (SSWD) on the keystone intertidal predator, Pisaster ochraceus. Recently however, a severe disease outbreak occurred in a group of very well-studied organisms–sea stars along the west coast of North America. Disease outbreaks can have substantial impacts on wild populations, but the often patchy or anecdotal evidence of these impacts impedes our ability to understand outbreak dynamics.
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