The article reported: "This year broke all records," Reneerkens says. "I know my literature about Arctic shorebirds very well and I have never come across something like this." He is uncertain how this "disastrous" incident will affect the overall populations of these shorebird species. But "given the scale that this happening [on]," he says, "I do expect that this will have large consequences." He estimates the record-late snowmelt impacted half of the global breeding area for sanderlings, red knots and ruddy turnstones.