Sea Turtles

Throughout the world, the ability for animals to thrive is based on a series of factors that make up their ecosystem; changes in the availability of prey, vegetation and weather all have the ability to affect an ecosystem. In many of the world's ecosystems there is a great deal of flexibility available and many animals are able to adapt to changing settings. In other, more rigid structures, changes in ecosystems are more difficult and it is through this fact that the troubles of the arctic fox are introduced. Living in the very delicate arctic tundra, the arctic fox is suffering greatly from climate changes brought about by global warming.

The threats that global warm pose against the human race have been made very obvious. Most people are aware that with global warming comes rising temperatures, unusual weather patterns and a general threat to most of the world's natural resources. A fact that is less understood is the extent to which global warming is already affecting various species. Animals that have thrived on the planet for thousands of years are now in jeopardy because of environmental changes brought about by human negligence. Though there are many animals that fall into this at-risk category, the case of the sea turtle is especially important. For a variety of reasons, global warming is threatening the sea turtle's way of life and the challenges that sea turtles are facing are materializing at such a fast rate that the sea turtle's presence on Earth may permanently come to an end in the near future.

The most pressing issue for sea turtles caused by global warming is the hindering of their reproduction cycle. The sea turtle has existed on the planet for tens of thousands of years and has very distinct reproduction practices. The sea turtle has established nesting grounds that have been in existence for hundreds of years. Sea turtles are known to return to the same nesting ground decades after their birth to create the next generation of life. The problem with this practice is that there is little room for flexibility if a sea turtle's nesting ground is threatened. Unfortunately, global warming is causing just that to happen. Rising ocean levels, which occur as a result of melting polar ice, have caused many sea turtle nesting grounds to be submerged in water. Previously, this problem may have been solved by the simple fact that beaches would move more inland, but because of human coastal development, beaches are instead being completely eliminated.

For those sea turtles that are fortunate enough to have their nesting grounds intact, there are still other issues caused by global warming. Warmer temperatures and loss of vegetation due to global warming have caused drastically increased sand temperatures on many nesting beaches. This is an issue to sea turtles for two primary reasons. The first being that sea turtle eggs are very sensitive to heat and can be cooked when sand temperatures reach into the 100°F range. For temperatures that are not that high, sea turtle eggs are still affected; the reason for this being that a sea turtle's gender is determined almost entirely by sand temperature. In warmer temperatures a significantly higher number of female turtles hatch and in cooler temperatures, usually less than 80°F, more males are born. Higher temperatures have caused a disproportionate amount of female sea turtles to be born and the issue will only become more prevalent as temperatures continue to increase acros s the globe. Between the two issues of rising sea levels eliminated nesting beaches and higher sand temperatures threatening the preservation of eggs, the sea turtle may realistically be facing extinction. In the case of the leatherback sea turtle, numbers have decreased by 95% and a mere five thousand of the creatures remain.

Scientists have realized the plight and impending doom that the sea turtle faces and have began to intervene in order to preserve the species. There have been notable efforts to plant trees and vegetation that increase shade and subsequently, lower sand temperatures. In addition to this practice, there have been fenced in nesting grounds created, which protect sea turtles and their eggs from predators. In some extreme situations, scientists have even relocated buried sea turtle eggs to safer locations in order to increase survival rate. Global warming has made the fight to save the sea turtle an uphill battle. In coming decades, higher temperatures will make survival even more difficult for sea turtles than it is today, but hopefully thanks to conservation efforts, the sea turtle can regain its status as a thriving ocean creature.