Scientists say fast-spreading sea urchins have eaten away at huge underwater kelp forests in California and Oregon. The invasion by tens of millions of the sea creatures is causing the destruction of important forms of sea life. A recent count found 350 million purple sea urchins on one Oregon reef alone. That is more than a 10,000 percent increase since 2014. In Northern California, 90 percent of large kelp forests have been swallowed up by the urchins. Scientists have reported finding so-called “urchin barrens,” or huge stretches of the seafloor that contain nothing but sea urchins. Such growth has spread from California to waters off the state of Oregon, where kelp forests were once so thick that boats had trouble passing through.
Title: Fast-Spreading Sea Urchins Destroying Sea Life
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/urch.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Fast-Spreading Sea Urchins Destroying Sea Life' data-article-id='4243'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='13792'>Scientists say fast-spreading sea urchins have eaten away at huge underwater kelp forests in California and Oregon.</span> <span data-start-time='13792' data-end-time='25333'>The invasion by tens of millions of the sea creatures is causing the destruction of important forms of sea life.</span> <span data-start-time='25333' data-end-time='35021'>A recent count found 350 million purple sea urchins on one Oregon reef alone.</span> <span data-start-time='35021' data-end-time='42292'>That is more than a 10,000 percent increase since 2014.</span> <span data-start-time='42292' data-end-time='52542'>In Northern California, 90 percent of large kelp forests have been swallowed up by the urchins.</span> <span data-start-time='52542' data-end-time='65667'>Scientists have reported finding so-called “urchin barrens,” or huge stretches of the seafloor that contain nothing but sea urchins.</span> <span data-start-time='65667' data-end-time='79083'>Such growth has spread from California to waters off the state of Oregon, where kelp forests were once so thick that boats had trouble passing through.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/urch.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=13938 data-hint-location='52542' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/what_does_barren_mean.wav'>What does barren mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='unable to produce'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/eaten_away.wav'><span>eaten away</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/trouble_passing.wav'><span>trouble passing</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/unable_to_produce.wav'><span>unable to produce</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/contain_sea_life.wav'><span>contain sea life</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=13939 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/what_is_being_eaten_away.wav'>What is being eaten away?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='kelp forests'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/california.wav'><span>California</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/purple_starfish.wav'><span>purple starfish</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/kelp_forests.wav'><span>kelp forests</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/underwater_creatures.wav'><span>underwater creatures</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=13940 data-hint-location='13792' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/the_invasion_is_causing__blank__of_sea_life.wav'>The invasion is causing <span class='blank'>destruction</span> of sea life.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='destruction'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/proliferation.wav'><span>proliferation</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/swallowing.wav'><span>swallowing</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/destruction.wav'><span>destruction</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3762/containers.wav'><span>containers</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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