Potential impacts of projected sea‐level rise on sea turtle rookeries

Abstract

1. Projected sea-level rise (SLR) is expected to cause shoreline erosion, saline intrusion into the water table and inundation and flooding of beaches and coastal areas. Areas most vulnerable to these physical impacts include small, tropical low-lying islands, which are often key habitat for threatened and endemic species, such as sea turtles.2. Successful conservation of threatened species relies upon the ability of managers to understand current threats and to quantify and mitigate future threats to these species. This study investigated how sea-level rise might affect key rookeries (nesting grounds) (n 5 8) for the northern Great Barrier Reef (nGBR) green turtle population, the largest green turtle population in the world.3. 3-D elevation models were developed and applied to three SLR scenarios projected by the IPCC 2007 and an additional scenario that incorporates ice melting. Results indicate that up to 38% of available nesting area across all the rookeries may be inundated as a result of SLR.4. Flooding, as a result of higher wave run-up during storms, will increase egg mortality at these rookeries affecting the overall reproductive success of the nGBR green turtle population. Information provided will aid managers to prioritize conservation efforts and to use realistic measures to mitigate potential SLR threats to the nGBR green turtle population.

Estimating carrying capacity at the green turtle nesting beach of East Island, French Frigate Shoals

“…Furthermore, loss of nesting habitat from climate change-related sea level rise has been predicted for many beaches worldwide (Fish et al 2005, Baker et al 2006, Fuentes et al 2010. In the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, sea level rise due to climate change and the natural subsidence of the northwestern segment of the archipelago over geologic time are of growing concern.…”

A Piece of a Puzzle of Haplotypes for the Indian Ocean Hawksbill Turtle

“…Were southern Pleistocene oceans full of marine turtles, competing for space and food, whereas northern hemisphere oceans were depleted of these animals? Though many doubts persist, our current knowledge from oceanic changes has the advantage of corroborating [28] views about turtles' adaptation capacity during changes in sea level rise, nesting sites erosion and modification, and changes in migratory pathways. Human activities have been representing a challenge for marine turtles during the Holocene [16].…”

Climate Change Impacts on Florida’s Biodiversity and Ecology

“…Shifts may also occur at a more regional scale. There has been a northward shift in loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests along Melbourne Beach, Florida, the largest loggerhead turtle rookery in the Atlantic Ocean, likely due to warming temperatures (Reece et al 2013b (Fuentes et al 2010;Katselidis et al 2014;Pike et al 2015). For example, it is projected that Melbourne Beach will decrease in area by 43% from 1986 to a future with 0.5 m of sea level rise; this will restrict nesting to narrow beaches, increasing risk of erosion and crowding resulting in nests overlapping with each other (Reece et al 2013b (Pike 2013;.…”