The Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) lives on coral and is distributed throughout the world's tropical oceans. Climate change leads to ocean acidification which can lead to coral bleaching which would result in this animal - and many others - being homeless. Photo by Richard Ling.

In case you haven’t seen it, there are some interesting comments in response to the postings on marine animals and climate change.  One of my favorite is from 11-year old Mia.  She writes:

“…all i want for christmas is for the climate to improve.i try to get people to recyle more things and use less paper,plastic,etc.,but it seems to me that i can not make a difference.i really love animals and i just want them to live happy lives like that animals that lived when there was not as much climate change or when it was what it was supposed to be.i can only hope some people will help and try to do something.this is what i really want for christmas.do not get me wrong i love wrapped gifts as much as the next 11 year old , but i think that climate recovery is more important.who needs the newest video game ,or a new twilight shirt(which is not all that bad),but to know the climat eis better and animals can live better , that is much better then any toy.Sure you could have the hottest new toy out there,or you could help make a difference.”

Thank you, Mia, for helping to make a difference!

Stranded harp seal. Photo by Barb Schneider.

Finally I thought about seals.  Seals are adaptable.  Seals can handle temperature variation.  Sounds good so far!

Many seals depend on the ice for pupping….  uh oh.

According to a Climate Institute report by Luisanna Carillo-Rubio, harp seal pups are already dying due to lack of sea ice on which they rest.  Additionally, seals’ prey species such as squid are being impacted by warmer temperatures.

Sounds like we need to do something about climate change – for the animals’ sakes if not our own!

Stranded harp seal. Photo by Mary Albis.

Killer Whale spyhopping. Photo by NOAA.

So then I started wondering – what about cetaceans?  Heck, wouldn’t a whale, dolphin, or porpoise love climate change?  More water, warmer water, more places to forage.  Turns out, that’s not the case….

According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society:  “Changes in sea temperature, freshening of seawater, sea level rise, loss of icy polar habitats and the decline of food sources are just some of the many threats posed by climate change.”

For the National Marine Life Center and our partners at the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Marine Mammal Rescue Program, unfortunately, that sounds like more strandings….

For a copy of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society’s report on “Whales in Hot Water”, click here.

Common dolphins. Photo by NOAA.

Photo by National Geographic.

As this week’s United Nations Convention on Climate Change wraps up in Copenhagen, I thought it would be worthwhile to consider the effects of climate change on sea turtles.

According to the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, who recently completed a report on the topic and presented it in Copenhagen, sea turtles are impacted by climate change in three ways.

1) Rising ocean levels. Rises in ocean levels reduce the amount of beach on which sea turtle females can nest.

2) Increasing temperatures.  Whether or not a sea turtle egg develops into a male or female depends on the temperature at which the egg incubates.  Warmer temperatures create more females.  If there aren’t enough males, the population cannot survive.  At the hottest temperatures, eggs won’t hatch at all.

3) Changes to ocean currents.  When ocean currents change, sea turtles may be thrown far out of their habitat and may be unable to return to feed or nest.

For the full report from Sea Turtle Restoration Project, click here.

Photo by Doug Perrine.