Marine heatwaves leading to mass deaths in seabirds

Puffins, auklets, murres, and shearwaters were particularly vulnerable, with seabird deaths most likely exceeding 250,000 about once every 10 years.

Marine heatwaves such as the one off Ireland's coast in recent weeks led to mass deaths in seabirds, American research has found.

The middle of last month saw sea temperatures off the west of Ireland and the north-east of England rise to several degrees above normal, easily breaking records for the time of the year.