Somewhere in the general vicinity of Mendocino, a purple urchin has washed up on the shore. Over the past decade the warming climate has caused marine heatwaves affecting numerous ecosystems. The sunflower sea star – the purple urchin's primary predator – has been decimated by a mysterious wasting disease, and consequently the urchin populations have exploded. They have covered the sea floor and devoured 90-95% of the area's kelp forests. And now they are starving, so have entered a dormant state by lowering their metabolic rates, existing on almost no food, and shrinking their internal organs until they are "hollow" -- purple zombies of the barren kelp wastelands.

06.08.26