The number of sea turtles washing up on New England beaches has spiked significantly, many stunned and unable to escape the region's cooling winter waters.
At a sea turtle hospital housed at an old New England shipyard, a biologist leans over a table and uses a needle to draw blood from a sick loggerhead before tagging its flailing flipper.
Some experts think New England's spike in cold-stunned turtles is a climate change story with a twist: the hook-like projection of Cape Cod into the Atlantic helps trap turtles drawn there by warming waters but weakened when the ocean cools down. Most rescued turtles suffer from compromised immune systems and pneumonia due to hypothermia. Exposed to cold water for prolonged periods, they become lethargic and can't move or eat. The ones that survive take months to recover.
"This is particularly alarming, considering the Gulf of Maine is predicted to continue to warm at a rapid rate in coming decades," the authors wrote, noting the Gulf's waters are heating up faster than most of the world's oceans. The researcher's projected as many as 2,349 strandings of Kemp's ridleys —the world's smallest sea turtles— by 2031.
It's widely accepted that Cape Cod, which extends 75 miles into the ocean and takes a hard left at Orleans for 35 miles — effectively serves as a barrier for turtles. Turtles sense the need to move south as waters cool but often are unable to navigate out of Cape Cod Bay.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
A closer look at New Zealand's new weapons banCHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Only a week after attacks on two mosques in New Zealand killed 50 worshippers, the country has banned sales of 'military-style' semi-automatic weapons and...
Lire la suite »
Perspective | How New York’s new monument whitewashes the women’s rights movementPerspective: How New York’s new monument whitewashes the women’s rights movement
Lire la suite »
New Tax Could Hurt Value of Some of New York’s Most Expensive HomesOwners of some of New York’s priciest real estate could face a dramatic drop in the value of their properties under a state plan to impose a so-called pied-à-terre tax in New York City.
Lire la suite »
Republican Senator proposes 'New Manhattan Project,' ridicules Green New Deal as 'assault on cars, cows'Tennessee's Senator Lamar Alexander dismissed the Democrat-proposed Green New Deal legislation and instead offered his own 'New Manhattan Project,' riffing on another landmark FDR-era initiative.
Lire la suite »
New England seeing a huge spike in beached sea turtlesQUINCY, Mass. (AP) — At a sea turtle hospital housed at an old New England shipyard, a biologist leans over a table and uses a needle to draw blood from a sick loggerhead before tagging its...
Lire la suite »
FC Cincinnati back on the road, faces lowly New EnglandFC Cincinnati will look to keep its early-season roll going in its inaugural MLS...
Lire la suite »
Robert Kraft says he’s ‘truly sorry’The Patriots owner apologized Saturday in a statement, his first public comments about prostitution-related charges he faces in Florida.
Lire la suite »