At a Glance
- Fish and other sea creatures have no escape from rising temperatures.
- They are disappearing from their habitats at a faster rate than land animals.
- The study looked at nearly 300 different species.
Global warming has caused twice as many ocean-dwelling species as land-dwelling species to disappear from their habitats, highlighting the exceptional vulnerability of sea species that have no refuge from the rising heat, according to a new study.
The study, published this week in the journal Nature, is the first of its kind to compare sensitivity to warmer temperatures in cold-blooded animals that live in the world's oceans versus those that live on land.
The results surprised the study's lead author, Malin Pinsky, an associate professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
"Ten years ago there actually wasn’t much attention to the impact of climate change on marine animals and today we are finding that they might be the most vulnerable of all species on earth,” Pinsky told weather.com.
(MORE: Ocean Winds, Waves Getting More Extreme Around the World, 33-Year Study Reveals)
Pinsky and his fellow researchers combed through available data on 88 cold-blooded marine species and 294 cold-blooded land species, ranging from lizards to fish to spiders. They developed a method to calculate the animals' body temperatures and looked at climate and weather data surrounding the animals' habitats to reach their conclusions.
"There were two key pieces," Pinsky said. “One was understanding the highest temperatures that the animals could tolerate and the other was figuring out how much they heat up."
He noted that the study looked at climate data over the past 20 years, meaning it provides a real-time picture of how sea creatures are affected by global warming.
“Not only are they more vulnerable but we are actually seeing this vulnerability play out around us right now,” Pinsky said.
The study also noted that many land animals can hide from heat in forests, shaded areas or underground. Most animals living in the ocean don't have those same protections.
Pinsky said understanding global warming's impact on the oceans and the animals that live in them is crucial to future conservation efforts and pinpointing where best to focus those resources.
“There’s actually a lot we can do to reduce these impacts," he said. "Reducing greenhouse gas emission is really the most important thing we can do."
He added that, even at the local level, efforts to stop overfishing, limit destruction of habitat and setting up marine conservation areas are also important steps to preserving marine life.
Pinsky also pointed out that not only are sea creatures an important part of nature, they are also a primary food source for many people and provide jobs for people who fish and harvest them.
“We’re all tied to the ocean whether we realize it or not,” he said. “These changes touch all of us.”
