Home A seal-killing virus probably spread from the North Atlantic to North Pacific because of sea ice retreat
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A seal-killing virus probably spread from the North Atlantic to North Pacific because of sea ice retreat

A new study links surges of phocine distemper virus, or PDV, in Alaska marine mammals to years with low sea ice.

By Yereth Rosen November 12, 2019
3624

When scientists in 2004 found that Alaska sea otters were exposed to a sometimes-deadly virus that plagues seals in the North Atlantic, they were puzzled. Sea otters do not travel far, and the phocine distemper virus, a major problem for the other side of the world, had not been previously found in Alaska waters.

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