The natural world is especially sensitive to environmental changes, and recent research seems to indicate that shark embryo mortality rates may increase catastrophically by the year 2100.
What's happening?
Noémie Coulon, a Ph.D. student at France's Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et des Écosystèmes Aquatiques, and her team have found some disturbing data involving how oceanic warming and acidification are affecting small-spotted catsharks, as PhysOrg reports.
Both in the sea and on the land, extreme weather and temperatures are rising. According to Climate.gov, oceans have been warmer than average since the '90s and the oceans have absorbed about 90% of that heat.
As carbon content in the waters has grown over the past 200 years of industrialization, pH levels in the ocean have increased by 30%, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In conjunction with that, oxygen levels in the oceans have dropped, marking a triple threat for the ocean ecosystem.
"The hatching success of embryos is a crucial factor for population dynamics. In the case of skates and sharks, which have a slow pace of life, low hatching rates could be critical for population renewal," as Coulon shared in the article.
Luckily, we've gotten advanced notice about how environmental changes due to heat and pollution can affect not just ocean life, but every creature on the planet.
Why is this information so important?
Studies have shown that warmer ocean temperatures impair cognitive function in fish and abnormally high spikes in North Atlantic seas could lead to high mortality rates.
The NOAA's projections for the year 2100 showed that pH and carbonate levels could begin dissolving the shells of crustaceans.
Coulon's team created several tiered scenarios for the future and how that impacts shark embryos. The SSP2, or "Middle of the Road" model, describes a future where progress toward reducing pollution is underway, but net-zero isn't achieved. That offered an 83% survival rate for the sharks, but their SSP5, or "Fossil-fueled Development" scenario was dire.
"We were shocked by the low survival rate observed in the SSP5 scenario, with only 11% of embryos hatching," as Coulon explained in the article.
What can we do about the problem?
This news offers a glint of hope for the future. Working toward a greener tomorrow through carbon capture and switching to greener, more sustainable energy methods can improve life for every creature on Earth.
You can get involved in climate issues, support forward-thinking policies, and do your part in transitioning to cleaner tech, such as EVs and solar panels.
As Coulon shared in PysOrg, "Our findings demonstrate that the more moderate SSP2 scenario can limit the damage inflicted on species like the small-spotted catshark, which gives us a positive incentive to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions."
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