The large quantity of salt that had accumulated this year, 2021, was a lot more predominant and at a much higher quantity then has been observed in previous years.

"The first wave of dead mussels washed ashore on July 14th, possibly earlier but this was the first report we received. I took the pictures included in my LEO observation on July 16th, and the temperatures were only just then beginning to climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s."

Ruben Henry won't ever forget the day the Chandalar River ran red along the banks of Arctic Village. It was the talk of the tight-knit, Brooks Range town, and no one had could remember it ever happening before.

Halobacteria thrive in bodies of water with high levels of salt. The salinity inside the Kealia Pond outlet area is currently greater than 70 parts per thousand, twice the salinity of seawater. Maui's drought is likely contributing to the situation. Normally Waikapu Stream feeds into Kealia Pond and raises water levels there, but Wolfe said that hasn't happened in a long time.