Thursday, January 11, 2018

Climate change as a matter of fact: Green sea turtles of the Great Barrier Reef




Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground.  (NPR, 1/10/2018)
Like many reptiles, the sex of a turtle is determined by how warm the egg is as it's being incubated. And small temperature differences can cause dramatic changes in the male-to-female ratio. "Within a few degrees Celsius you go from 100 percent males to 100 percent females," says marine biologist Michael Jensen. "A really narrow range, that transition." The team's research was published this week in Current Biology.

Environmental Warming and Feminization of One of the Largest Sea Turtle Populations in the World.  (Current Biology)
From the article summary.  With average global temperature predicted to increase 2.6°C by 2100 [3], many sea turtle populations are in danger of high egg mortality and female-only offspring production. Unfortunately, determining the sex ratios of hatchlings at nesting beaches carries both logistical and ethical complications.

Previous climate change as a matter of fact posts:
U.S. military bases around the world.  (1/8/2018)
Maine shrimp season.  (12/27/2017)
Beavers migrate to Arctic.  (12/24 /2017)
Rising seas + draining underground aquifers = Jakarta disaster.  (12/22/2017)
U.S. Department of Defense.  (12/16/2017)
Shrinking sea ice in the Arctic Ocean.  (12/14/2017)
Emaciated polar bear.  (12/9/2017)
California fires.  (12/8/2017)
Wisconsin.  (11/16/2017)
Hampton Roads, Virginia.  (11/4/2017)
U.S. military bases.  (9/22/2017)
Georgia peach orchards.  (9/18/2017)
Northeast U.S. pine forests.  (8/29/2017)
Tangier Island, Virginia.  (8/25/2017)
South of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. (8/25/2017)
New Orleans.  (8/12/2017)
Kenya.  (7/23/2017)
Portugal.  (6/19/2017)
The Netherlands.  (6/19/2017)
Brazil.  (6/8/2017)

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