Florida biologists are closely monitoring how alligators in the Everglades are responding to rising global temperatures, and they're concerned about what they've found so far.
What's happening?
Scientists from the University of Florida "Croc Docs" team are studying threatened American alligators to help assess the impacts of rising global temperatures in the Everglades. The Miami Herald reported on the team, explaining that alligators are a good target species for this type of research because they are sensitive to environmental changes.
Since the 1970s, researchers have documented erosion that is changing the nesting patterns of this reptile along the coast of the southern Everglades and in Florida Bay. Croc Docs team member Sergio Balaguera-Reina believes the overheating of our planet will make the situation worse.
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"Some of the islands that we have visited before and saw nesting, now we see nothing because it's just covered with water," Balaguera-Reina told the Herald. "We know climate change is affecting other species, so we need to get ready to see how it affects the species we have here in the Everglades."
Why is this research important?
As our planet gets hotter, scientists expect the Everglades to face a number of challenges including sea level rise. According to Miami Dade County, sea levels in south Florida are likely to rise 20 inches above 1990 levels by 2100. This will make inland areas more susceptible to damage from storm surges during hurricanes, it says.
Meanwhile, alligators are a keystone species in the Everglades ecosystem — this means that any decline in this species will have a ripple effect. For instance, these top predators help control prey numbers while the "gator holes" they build serve as shelter for many other Everglades animals, according to the Ecological Society of America.
What's being done about rising global temperatures?
Dirty fuels are the biggest culprit behind rising global temperatures, accounting for more than 75% of all planet-heating pollution, per the UN. That's why governments around the world are implementing programs to reduce their dependence on these energy sources.
For instance, Wales is banning most new roadway projects to cut down on carbon pollution. Plus, a New York law will require all Lyfts and Ubers to be electric by 2030.
You can help out by voting for pro-climate candidates or making changes in your everyday life like enrolling in community solar or changing the way you get around.
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