As cleanup efforts focus on land, marine experts warn of the Palisades Fire’s hidden toll on beaches and ocean life
As the Environmental Protection Agency removes hazardous materials from fire-devastated Malibu coastal properties afflicted by the assault of the Palisades Fire, two Malibu-based marine scientists are advocating that remediation specialists, various government agencies tasked with assisting in removing debris, and, perhaps most importantly, Malibuites and all Californians, all need to be proactive about addressing the damage the fire inflicted on the beaches as well as in the ocean and its ecosystems along Malibu’s coastline.
Pepperdine’s Karen Martin, Ph.D, a distinguished professor emeritus who serves on the board of directors for the nonprofit Beach Ecology Coalition, has been collecting data concerning the effect of the ash and silt on the beaches where the California grunion spawn.
“The grunion were out in the sea when the wildfire occurred, but the highest time of concern begins in March when they spawn between the high tide of the new moon and the full moon,” Martin explained. “The grunions’ spawning season spans from March to August and we have a large presence of the spawning grunion on Topanga Beach.”
The grunion eggs are left behind in the sand for 10 days to two weeks and the big question caused by the wildfire is whether there will be a good sandy area for them to bury their eggs, according to Martin.
“The presence of heavy metals and soot will alter the ocean floor near shore for a while and can also get into the food chain,” she said. “If there is too much soot on the beach, which is much finer than the coarse sand that is generally on the beach, it is hard for the oxygen that the eggs need to get through the soot and supply the oxygen.”
If the beach has eroded too much, the grunion will avoid it. If that happens, the grunion population may be in peril, shecautioned.
Literally while this journalist wrote this article, she received the City of Malibu’s weekly recovery and rebuild newsletter. In a part of the newsletter entitled “Sediment Testing and Natural Recovery,” quite incredulously, the newsletter stated, “Charred silt on the shoreline is a mix of fine ash and sand. Initial testing at Will Rogers and Topanga Beaches confirmed it is non-hazardous to people or the environment. To avoid harming marine habitats, this sediment won’t be removed — natural tides will gradually break it down.” (Emphasis supplied).
But what about the grunion, whose spawning season begins in March?
“It is very difficult to assess and address the runoff caused by mudflows as well as the toxicity of waste from houses and cars that were destroyed in the fire,” Martin noted. “The grunion are wonderful fish, and I hope that they can continue to thrive.”
“As scientific divers, we are the eyes and ears of the ocean!”
“What’s happening right now to our ocean with the aftermath of the Palisades Fire is something we who call Malibu home all need to care about,” said Barbara Gentile Crary, environmentalist, scientific diver, and owner of Malibu Divers at a Feb. 5 online presentation by scientists and concerned citizens. The event, entitled “Malibu’s Unique Marine Ecosystem: Impacts on Wildfires on Kelp Forests & Marine Life,” explored what scientists are doing to monitor and define toxic chemicals that have been detected in the ocean and to determine what can be done to help mitigate the harm.
The seemingly endless and terrible tentacles of the fire include its deleterious effects on the ocean and its ecosystems, Gentile Crary said.
“When wildfires burn through our hillsides, we often focus on the destruction above ground — homes lost, landscapes charred — but the damage doesn’t stop there. The rains that follow these fires carry an enormous amount of debris straight into our ocean,” she said. “Right now, everything from ash, toxic chemicals, plastics, and burned household materials is washing into our waters. This isn’t just unsightly; it’s dangerous.”
The Malibu Divers research team is planning to deploy light sensors to measure changes in water clarity downstream of the burned watersheds and compare light measurements upstream of the unburned watersheds, most likely somewhere north of Point Dume. They are doing so because kelp forests need sunlight to survive.
Procedures scientists are using to assess damage to the ocean
Malibu’s coastline supports one of the highest densities of fish in Southern California, Gentile Crary said, explaining that she is a scientific diver for Reef Check and the American Academy of Underwater Scientists and noting that shehas seen firsthand the impact of pollution on marine life.
The panelists explained that the first thing to do is to define the damage the Palisades Fire has inflicted on the ocean and its ecosystems in Malibu and area beaches by immediately conducting assessments. They emphasized that toxins from urban fires significantly impact ocean chemistry and marine life.
“We have to ask some tough questions: What is in our ocean right now from this debris?” Gentile Crary said. “My impression is that the Palisades Fire has a lot more debris in it compared to prior fires because so many houses burned.”
There are salient questions that scientists must answer, according to Gentile Crary.
“How is the debris affecting our reefs, our marine life, and ultimately, our own health? Who is truly testing our waters for contaminants like heavy metals and toxic chemicals?” she asked. “And perhaps most importantly, when will it be safe?”
Dr. Zoe Kitchel, a postdoctoral researcher and visiting professor at Occidental College, explained that scientists have been studying how the density of fish and algae change over time along Malibu’s coast for decades.
“We also examine how the biomass changes over time. We measure the complexity of reefs to determine whether they are mostly sand or consist of small or big rocks?” Kitchel said, explaining that complicated “high relief habitats,” (a marine biology term referring to coral reefs with structures that have significant vertical variation and have a topography consisting of many crevices), overhangs, and peaks are present in the ocean near Malibu. Higher relief reefs provide animals to seek shelter and also serve as food sources for fish and other organisms.
“In the ocean along the Malibu coast there is a lot of rocky reef habitat and we’ve lost a lot of it in the last 50 to 60 years because sediment goes all the way from the land into the reefs,” Kitchel stated. “We have years of data regarding the rocky reefs off of the coast of Malibu. Now, we are going to study how the ecosystem has changed due to the most recent fires.”
Kitchel further expressed concern that Malibu “is going to have a huge influx of runoff into the ocean after the catastrophic wildfire.”
“We’ve lost trees and vegetation and that runoff is rapidly going into the ocean,” she added. “This runoff is coming from highly urbanized sites and areas and that means the acid from car batteries ends up in the runoff and all of the fire retardant is also running off the terrestrial habitats right into the ocean.”
Kitchel explained that fire retardant is made of water and ammonia which is highly toxic to fish.
“Their whole physiological system breaks down and we know this from scientists who have studied the effects of runoffs from lakes and streams in California,” she said. “There is a lot of sediment running to the rocky reefs whichwill get buried, hurting kelp forests’ development because they need to fasten onto a hard surface.”
Divers assess how wildfire debris, ash, and pollutants affect Malibu’s ocean
The Malibu Divers research team, in collaboration with Kitchel and other scientists, is going to deploy light sensors to measure changes in water clarity downstream of the burned watersheds and to compare light measurements upstream of the unburned watersheds, most likely somewhere north of Point Dume. Kitchel shared images demonstrating that even in 2022, four years after the Woolsey Fire, there was evidence of fire debris harming the marine ecosystems.
“We need help to get action immediately! Saying ‘stay out of water’ doesn’t address the short-term nor the long termimpact for recovery,” Gentile Crary said. “I am seriously shocked at the lack of interest and attention that I am getting for this issue. Just now, I received a phone call back from LA County with no useful information or follow-up contacts.I received the same reply from Gov. Newsom’s office, and was asked to fill out a ‘contact us form,’ which I did.Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of focus, i.e, funding and action to address this critical issue.” She noted that ocean impact assessments and cleanup efforts should be prioritized in fire response efforts.
“As divers, we are the eyes and ears of the ocean,” Gentile Crary noted. “We see the changes happening beneath the surface that most people never witness.”
The damage done to the ocean is extensive and concerning, she stressed, sharing a report from San Diego that monitored Urban Ash, the term used for ash derived from urban fires such as the Palisades and Eaton fires, more than 100 miles away as the Palisades fire burned on land. That report can be found at youtu.be/7BcUfvy6y8E?feature=shared.
“I urge everyone to pay attention, ask questions, and demand solutions!” Gentile Crary said. “This isn’t just about today — it’s about the future of our coastline, our economy, and the health of our ocean. Let’s work together to protect what makes Malibu so special.”
For interested readers, here’s the complete online presentation: youtube.com/watch?v=nkhOKK6E7sk