Global warming forces marine species to move towards the poles.

Marine plants and animals need to move faster and faster to adapt and seek more favorable thermal conditions.

Data compiled by an international team with the participation of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) concludes that marine organisms are moving towards the poles at a rate of 72 kilometres per decade in response to ocean warming. The study appears in the journal 'Nature Climate Change'.

Although greenhouse gases warm terrestrial ecosystems three times faster than those in the ocean, marine plants and animals need to move to adapt to this situation and seek the thermal conditions that best suit them. In fact, marine species have changed their distribution in the last 50 years at a faster rate than terrestrial ones.
The organisms with the fastest average movements are those living in the pelagic zone: phytoplankton, which move at about 470 kilometers per decade, fish, at a rate of about 280 kilometers per decade, and plankton invertebrates, which move at about 143 kilometers per decade.

The response to climate change

The warming of the ocean surface caused by the emission of greenhouse gases is the response to this accelerated movement of marine organisms generated by the impact of this anthropogenic phenomenon.
Around 241% of the species analysed did not show any response to ocean warming. Scientists believe this could be due to various circumstances, such as a lack of resolution in the observations or an understanding of the different processes involved, and other reasons such as evolutionary adaptation.

“Understanding the mechanisms and magnitude of responses of marine organisms to climate change can help predict future impacts and the associated costs to society. It also facilitates the adoption of adaptive management strategies to mitigate these impacts. This work not only compiles evidence of the widespread effects of climate change on the oceans, but also predicts the future reconfiguration of marine ecosystems and the resources they provide,” the researchers conclude.

Main source: CCondem