California’s ocean is up to 4°C hotter; whales are disappearing, pelicans are starving and sharks...

Dolphins frolic in the surf off Long Beach, California -- but sightings are more and more rare Ocean temperatures along the California coast have climbed up to 4°C above average, driving whales away from usual feeding spots, starving seabirds, and pushing great white sharks uncomfortably close to public beaches.Data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows this marine heatwave has lasted for about six months. The heat is now linking up with El Niño, a weather pattern that warms surface waters across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.Scientists worry this double hit could match or beat the damage seen during the 2015–2016 El Niño, which caused massive die-offs of ocean animals across the state.A passenger on a whale watching excursion takes pictures of dolphins in the waters off Long BeachDisappearing whales and hungry seabirdsWhen ocean waters stay warm, small fish like anchovies and sardines swim deeper or head north to find cold water. Bigger sea animals follow their food, leading to a sharp drop in whale and dolphin sightings near the coast.Sara Lesser, a 39-year-old naturalist at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, watches these change...