Sea turtle breeding at risk from ocean warming: study

A new study out Wednesday found that rising ocean temperatures are threatening sea turtle populations by warming their nesting sites on beaches around the world. The climate change-fueled event could lead to local extinctions of already threatened reptiles, which have longer reproductive cycles and are slower to adapt than many other species, such as birds or butterflies.

Sea turtles dig holes and lay their eggs in the sand, which has warmed in recent years due to rising ocean temperatures caused by global warming.

Warmer nest temperatures produce more female offspring, thus putting female populations at greater risk of having trouble finding mates in the future.

Many nesting sites today are heavily female-biased, suggesting that rising temperatures are already having an effect.

Higher temperatures at nesting sites may also reduce hatchling production.

Wednesday’s study looked at whether sea turtles could shift their breeding period to cooler parts of the year to reduce nesting temperatures.

In the first global study of its kind, researchers modeled how sea turtles could mitigate the effects of a global temperature rise of 1.5°C – the best-case scenario outlined by the United Nations – at 58 nesting sites around the world.

On current trends, the world is headed for a rise of 2.6C from the pre-industrial benchmark.

They found that increasing the breeding season decreased about 55 percent of the time as ocean waters warmed, meaning nesting was at risk in about 45 percent of cases.

‘Band-Aid’ fixes

“These findings underline concerns for the long-term survival of this iconic group,” said the report published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Lead author Jacques-Olivier Lalo told AFP the findings point to the “really worrying” possibility that local extinctions may have occurred.

The work found that sea turtles breeding at higher latitudes benefited when they alternated their nesting periods with colder climates.

But it was tougher for sea turtles living near the equator, where seasonal fluctuations in temperature are less likely, the report said.

Scientists warn that global temperatures are likely to warm by more than 1.5C, possibly by mid-century, which means the study’s findings are potentially “optimistic results”, said Lalo of Australia’s Deakin University.

“In fact, it is likely that sea turtles have little ability to adapt to climate change,” he said.

Humans can help in some ways to cool the nests, such as providing shade or watering the sand. But these are “temporary ‘Band-Aids'” fixes, according to the authors.

The study states, “Solutions to address climate change, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, switching to renewable energy and changing land-use patterns are needed to mitigate future climate change impacts. ”

The researchers said the modeling could be applicable to other reptiles whose reproductive success is dependent on temperature and thus vulnerable to climate change, such as crocodiles and turtles.

The research looked at all seven sea turtle species, six of which are already on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)