The experts tell us that the ocean is now in a La Niña condition. So instead of being warm, like last winter during the El Niño, the ocean has cooled below normal. That's the explanation that we're getting for this summer of no summer. A La Niña condition bodes for a dry winter as well.
Wacky weather along the coast also means that more wildlife washes up injured onto our shores. The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach has seen an increase in pelicans being brought in, most of them affected by domoic acid poisoning. Domoic acid, which is produced by diatoms, causes neurological damage in sea birds and marine mammals.
When the injured animal is a sea lion or seal, the lifeguards call the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. They are licensed to handle marine mammals, which are much larger and potentially more dangerous than the public often understands. Trained staff arrive in one of their trucks with nets and portable kennels that look like they'd hold a Great Dane or Saint Bernard. Or even bigger!
