d ise ase ▁levels . ▁ ▁Loc ations ▁Currently , ▁most ▁cases ▁are ▁located ▁on ▁the ▁west ▁coast ▁of ▁North ▁America , ▁affect ing ▁sea ▁stars ▁from ▁B aja ▁California ▁to ▁the ▁g ulf ▁of ▁Al aska . ▁Map ▁of ▁Sea ▁Star ▁W ast ing ▁Sy nd rome ▁Loc ations ▁ ▁C aus es ▁As ▁of ▁November ▁ 2 0 1 3 , ▁no ▁ident ifiable ▁cause ▁for ▁the ▁disease ▁had ▁been ▁found . ▁Path ogen ic ▁b acter ia ▁did ▁not ▁seem ▁to ▁be ▁present , ▁and ▁though ▁the ▁pl ague ▁might ▁be ▁caused ▁by ▁a ▁vir al ▁or ▁fung al ▁path ogen , ▁no ▁caus al ▁agent ▁had ▁been ▁found . ▁Each ▁episode ▁of ▁pl ague ▁might ▁have ▁a ▁different ▁cause . ▁ ▁Other ▁possible ▁causes ▁of ▁the ▁condition ▁that ▁have ▁been ▁suggested ▁include ▁high ▁sea ▁temper atures , ▁o xygen ▁de ple tion ▁and ▁low ▁sal inity ▁due ▁to ▁fresh water ▁run off . ▁Research ▁suggests ▁that ▁high ▁water ▁temper atures ▁can ▁be ▁indeed ▁linked ▁to ▁the ▁disease , ▁increasing ▁its ▁inc idence ▁and ▁vir ul ence . ▁The ▁disease ▁also ▁seems ▁more ▁pre val ent ▁in ▁shelter ed ▁waters ▁than ▁in ▁open ▁se as ▁with ▁much ▁wave ▁movement . ▁One ▁result ▁of ▁global ▁war ming ▁is ▁higher ▁sea ▁temper atures . ▁There ▁is ▁a ▁wave ▁of ▁unus ually ▁warm ▁water ▁along ▁the ▁west ▁coast ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁which ▁is ▁where ▁all ▁of ▁the ▁sea ▁stars ▁are ▁dying ▁off . ▁These ▁may ▁impact ▁both ▁on ▁star fish ▁and