The Effects Of Climate Change On The Population Of Sea Turtles

Climate change has affected us in many ways, but it was even more influential on organisms and their community. The Earth is gradually heating and we are left to deal with the consequences. Homes are being destroyed, organisms are dying, and resources are running low. Since 1880, Our Earth’s temperature had increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius. Climate change is affecting the Earth and scientists say that one more degree will greatly affect people from all over the world. There are many consequences of climate change and each one has a great impact on all of us, but organisms’ homes are being destroyed and thousands of species are dying out. These organisms are imperative to our world and how it functions.

All over the world there is a subject that has an effect on us all, and that subject has come to be known as climate change, or more commonly global warming. Climate change has a huge impact on Sea Turtles and their nesting grounds. Specifically referring to the Sea Turtle’s ability to reproduce. Especially within the last ten to fifteen years.

Over the years, climate change has affected marine species because it has increased the ocean temperature, causing it to get warmer, which is causing a negative impact to most marine organisms like echinoderms and cnidarians (Quinn, 2016). In many cases, the optimum temperature of growth increased 1-6°C, which created harmful effects on stages of development (Quinn, 2016). In some cases such as the American lobster (Homarus americanus), warming of the ocean had caused smaller body sizes (Le Bris et al., 2016). Even though there is some research that showed that the warm temperature could also benefit the lobster’s population, most of their population has declined in the warmest and southernmost regions of the lobster’s range in places like southern New England and Long Island Sound (Quinn, 2016).

A decline in loggerhead populations due to temperature increases will have a large ecological effect as loggerhead turtles play important ecological roles such as maintaining food webs, cycling nutrients, and modifying habitat (Wilson et al. 2010 and Bjorndal 2003). Loggerhead turtles physically support many marine species. Loggerheads support the largest and most diverse amounts of epibionts of any marine turtle species. There are many epibionic species that are endemic to sea turtles and sea turtles maintain biodiversity in epibiont communities. A period of five to ten years may have minimal impacts on epibiont communities; however, a fifty year period may see enough loggerhead population declines that epibiont species are at risk

The Chelonia mydas can grow up to a maximum length of 4 feet and weigh up to 440 pounds (ecos.fws.gov, 2016). The green turtle can be found in Mesoamerican Reef, Coastal East Africa, Coral Triangle, the Galapagos, and the Gulf of California (worldwildlifefund.org, 2016). These areas are resting and nesting areas that are primarily located in shallow water, lagoons, and bays with nearby seagrass (ecos.fws.gov, 2016). In the last decade the habitats of the Chelonia mydas have been negatively effect in regards of the primary food source having been heavily reduced by climate change. A study conducted from 2000 to 2013 observed the before and effects of an extreme heat wave on an ecosystem on the West coast of Australia (Thomson et al., 2015). The study reported a 90% dieback of seagrass also resulting in habitat degradation and the steady decline of Chelonia mydas health with only 6 percent fell in the highest health category (Thomson et al.

The future outlook for the loggerhead turtle has been studied using two analyses, one looked at counts of nesting females and the other analysis was a stage based population model done to look at the anthropogenic mortalities with respect to the vital rates of the species (Conant et al. 2009). Using these analyses, it was determined that for the North Atlantic Ocean DPS there was a greater likelihood of quasi-extinction for the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Blanding’s Turtles have been assessed by the Ontario government as a ‘threatened’ species, as indicated in the Endangered Species Act of 2008. Understanding the behaviour and success of the species in their chosen habitats can provide useful information when creating protection and conservation plans for the future.

The lifespan of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) can be divided into three classifications: hatchlings, juveniles, and adults. Within these classifications are several stages that loggerhead turtles undergo that are characterized by changes in behavior, morphology, or location. There are various ways to define and classify these stages. Loggerhead sea turtles have abrupt developmental changes in regards to their behavior, habitat, and use of resources as they mature (Dodd 1988). The loggerhead sea turtle life cycle starts with oviposition on the nesting beach. Shortly after oviposition, the neural groove and head fold forms, the amnion arises, and the number of somites increases. As development continues, the heart begins beating, the

Sea turtles have always had difficulties getting to the water without harm because they are preyed upon by sea birds, sharks and/or raccoons. With the increase of population and tourism the amount of trash on the beaches has increased. Turtles will commonly mistake trash for food. With this common confusion the population of sea turtles is slowing decreasing causing them to gradually become extinct. In order to help save the sea turtles locals and tourists need to keep the beaches clean by picking up after themselves and

The climate change has caused not only waters to raise in temperature, but also in the sea level; this is having a major negative effect on sea turtles. When the female sea turtles lay their eggs and bury them in the sand, the rising waters make the eggs’ nest a dangerous place to be, resulting in even lower amounts of turtles hatched. Also, the rising temperatures effects the natural eggs’ incubation temperature of 34°C higher, which effects the sex of the turtle. Loggerhead turtles in Florida are ninety percent female due to this factor. If the temperature continues to rise, there may be no males left at all.

"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words” (Anna Sewell). There is undeniable evidence that animals are being affected by climate change. Even though the effects are difficult to measure, there are many different ways animals are being affected. With the loss of predator and prey species it affects the life cycles in the food chain. The earth’s climate change causes habitats such as snow, ice, or forest areas to alter, resulting in loss of habitat and food accessibility as well as causing extinction.

Anthropogenic activity has led to greatly increased emissions of greenhouses gases. Increased temperatures, acidification and stratification are all affected by increased carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. These symptoms of climate change have direct and indirect effects on to marine ecosystems, all of which start at the major primary producers of the oceans: phytoplankton.

     Global warming is also affecting the animals that live in our marine environments. These marine mammals are accustomed to living in specific temperatures. They cannot survive in the water if the temperature of the water changes dramatically. Thus, certain animals die as a result of the increase in temperature of the oceans. Also, it is very difficult to receive data from something as large and profound as our oceans. The various techniques that scientists use to receive data are not exactly quiet experiments. The tools used to take ocean data are actually loud machines that are put into the ocean. One might think that these loud machines would have no affect on animals because it is very difficult to hear things under

Climate change is one of the biggest problems the whole world is collectively facing. Even though climate change is partially caused by the natural cycles of Earth, humans I think are still a major part of it and I think that we can do more to protect the environment that we live in. Climate change happens when temperatures increase dramatically. When climate change causes temperature rises many environmental problems can occur here on earth . Temperatures rising can result in more floods, droughts, or flooding rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves which can cause wildfires. Oceans and the Antarctic Ice Glaciers have also experienced changes in oceans that are rising temperatures and are becoming more acidic. The Antarctic ice glaciers are melting and sea levels are rising destroying many habitats along the ice glaciers such as penguins and polar bears. As these changes frequently occur in future decades, they will likely present challenges to our society and environment.

Global warming is a major problem when providing a suitable habitat and lifestyle for ample marine life. With sea levels rising there are consequences to plant life in coastal wetlands that can not handle the amount of water being provided. The wetlands are important in their job to protect the species they contain and for stabilizing coastlines. Storms are increasing in magnitude and severity, causing the transport of nutrients to marine life to be disturbed. As shores move further inland animals will have to move and adapt, history has shown how this can decrease populations. In the future both rare and abundant species could become locally extinct, with rare species on the verge of becoming totally extinct.