News Ecosystems

Oyster deaths linked to ‘atmospheric rivers’

California storms diluted salt to deadly levels, researcher suggests

oysters

SALT-FREE SHELLFISH  Oysters (shown here) form reefs in bays and estuaries. Strong storms that struck California in 2011 nearly killed off a population of oysters in the San Francisco Bay — probably by diluting the salt water.

Kirk Mantay/EOL (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

By Laurel Hamers

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