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Warming oceans threaten sea turtle reproduction: study

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Jenny Vaughan, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Newly hatched sea turtles make their way into the sea after leaving a conservation center in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, 16 September 2022. The sea turtle conservation efforts in Kuta have been conducted since 2002 to protect sea turtles. EPA-EFE/MADE NAGI" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/tvpatrol/02/08/turtles.jpg"/><figcaption>Newly hatched sea turtles make their way into the sea after leaving a conservation center in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, 16 September 2022. The sea turtle conservation efforts in Kuta have been conducted since 2002 to protect sea turtles. <em>EPA-EFE/MADE NAGI</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>PARIS, France — Rising sea temperatures are threatening sea turtle populations by warming their nesting sites on beaches across the world, a new study found Wednesday.</p><p>The climate change-fuelled phenomenon could cause local extinctions of the already threatened reptiles, which have a long breeding cycles and are slower to adapt than many other species, such as birds or butterflies. </p><p>Sea turtles dig holes and lay their eggs in the sand, which has become warmer in recent years thanks to rising sea temperatures caused by global warming. </p><p>Warmer nest temperatures produce more female offspring, thus risking overwhelmingly female populations that will have trouble finding mating partners in the future. </p><p>Many nesting sites today are heavily female-biased today, suggesting rising temperatures are already having an impact. </p><p>High temperatures at nesting sites can also decrease hatchling production. </p><p>Wednesday&#x27;s study looked at whether sea turtles could shift their breeding period to cooler parts of the year in order to bring nest temperatures down.</p><p>In the first global study of its kind, researchers modelled how sea turtles could mitigate the impact of a global temperatures rise of 1.5 degree Celsius -- the best case scenario outlined by the United Nations -- at 58 nesting sites around the world.</p><p>On current trends, the world is headed for in increase of 2.6C above the preindustrial benchmark. </p><p>They found that moving the breeding period mitigated about 55 percent of sea water warming, meaning that in about 45 percent of cases the nesting was at risk. </p><div><strong>&#x27;BAND-AID&#x27; FIXES</strong></div><p>&quot;These findings underscore concerns for the long-term survival of this iconic group,&quot; said the report published in the Royal Society Open Science Journal. </p><p>Lead author Jacques-Olivier Laloe told AFP the findings point to the &quot;really worrying&quot; possibility that local extinctions could ensue.</p><p>The work found that sea turtles breeding at higher latitudes did benefit when they moved their nesting period to a period with cooler weather. </p><p>But this was harder for sea turtles living near the equator where temperatures are less likely to fluctuate seasonally, the report said. </p><p>Scientists warn that global temperatures are likely to warm beyond 1.5C, possibly by mid-century, which means the study&#x27;s findings are likely &quot;optimistic results&quot;, said Laloe of Australia&#x27;s Deakin University. </p><p>&quot;In reality, it&#x27;s likely that sea turtles have less adaptive potential to climate change,&quot; he said. </p><p>There are a few ways that humans can help to cool the nests, such as providing shade or watering the sand. But these are &quot;temporary &#x27;band-aid&#x27;&quot; fixes, according to the authors. </p><p>&quot;Solutions to address climate change, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions, switching to renewable energies, and changing land-use patterns are required to reduce future climate change impacts,&quot; the study said. </p><p>The researchers said the modelling could apply to other reptiles whose breeding success is temperature-dependent and thus vulnerable to climate change, such as crocodiles and tortoises.</p><p>The research looked at all seven sea turtle species, six of which are already on the International Union for Conservation of Nature&#x27;s Red List of Threatened Species. </p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1636401" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Rising sea temperatures are threatening sea turtle populations by warming their nesting sites on beaches across the world, a new study has found.

Warming oceans threaten sea turtle reproduction: study

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Warming oceans threaten sea turtle reproduction: study

Jenny Vaughan,

Agence France-Presse

Published Feb 08, 2023 10:41 AM PHT

Read More:

global warming

climate change

sea turtles

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