How does global warming affect sea turtles?
- Planet Ninjas
- Feb 10, 2022
- 1 min read
As humans we often focus on how global warming affects us and our activities. However, we humans share this planet with more than 8.7 million species.
How do our actions impact these other lifeforms?
There are 7 known species of sea turtles. Almost all of these are endangered.
Sea turtles are affected by global warming in
3 ways:
1. Sea turtles lay eggs in their nest that hatch into hatchlings or turtle babies. When the temperature of a turtle nest is below 27ﾟC, the eggs hatch to form male sea turtles. If temperatures are above 30ﾟC, it gives rise to female hatchlings. Normally, temperatures ranging between 27 to 30° C gives a mix of male and female hatchlings. But, as a result of global warming the nest temperatures are higher, leading to a skewed male to female ratio of sea turtle hatchlings.
2. Global warming leads to ice melting and warmer seas both of which collectively cause a rise in sea levels. Even small increases in sea levels severely affect the nesting areas of sea turtles. In addition, with climate change storms have become more frequent and severe. This leads to eroding of beaches and their nesting habitats.
3. Warming of the sea water changes ocean currents and hence the migration patterns of sea turtles. This further affects their nesting behavior and endangers their population.
Some organizations doing amazing work conserving sea turtles:
References:
Kommentare