Warming waters have driven thousands of ocean species poleward from the equator, threatening marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of people who depend on them, researchers reported Monday.
Comparison of data on nearly 50,000 species over three 20-year periods up to 2015 revealed that the exodus from tropical waters is accelerating, they reported in the journal PNAS.
The tropics have long harboured an outsized proportion of marine life, but could see that diversity disappear if climate change is not brought to heel, the authors warned.
"Global warming has been changing lives in the ocean for at least 60 years," senior author Mark Costello, a professor of marine biology at the University of Auckland, told AFP.
"Our findings show a drop of about 1,500 species at the equator," he added. "This will continue throughout the century, but the pace will depend on how we reduce -- or not -- greenhouse gas emissions."
Poleward migration was more pronounced north of the equator, where oceans have warmed more quickly than in the southern hemisphere.
It was also more prevalent among open water fish than so-called benthic species living on the ocean floor.
"Benthic species can only move during their floating life-stage, and thus their shift (poleward) is between generations," Costello explained.
By contrast, species living in the high seas "can move with the water masses in their lifetime."
Marine life in tropical waters declines when the annual average sea temperature rises above 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, depending on the species, the study found.
40 per cent drop by mid-century
"The 'missing' tropical species are likely following their thermal habitat as subtropical waters warm," noted co-author David Schoeman, a professor of ecology at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Fossil records show that the same thing happened 140,000 years ago, the last time global surface temperatures were as hot as they are now.
Based on data in the open-access Ocean Biodiversity Information System, the statistical study does not look at how individual species will adapt to new environments.
In general, open-water species are likely to fare better, earlier research has found.
The impact on commercial fish stocks in the tropics is not addressed either, though it is clear which parts of the world will be hit the hardest.
"Indonesia and other nations near the equator, such as in West Africa, have the most to lose because their stocks can only decrease," as no new species will replace those leaving, Costello said.
Worldwide, about 1.3 billion people live in coastal tropical areas, many of which rely on fisheries for food.
Warming waters will threaten our beautiful marine life as climate change continues to worsen; a reminder of why we need to fight for climate action!
The massive amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the oceans dissolves in seawater as carbonic acid. ????
— The STEAM Tribe (@thesteamtribe) August 27, 2019
Along with increasingly acidified waters, the oceans are warming, and the oxygen critical to marine life is decreasing. ???????? #reducecarbonemissions #climateaction pic.twitter.com/v7TlTaTfGX
❓What are the impacts of #climatechange on #fisheries & aquaculture?
— Research4PECH (@PolicyPECH) July 18, 2019
How can we mitigate the effects, & improve our practices for greater #sustainability?
Find out now in @FAOfish's excellent publication???? https://t.co/AeLP4NxUXd
There are unexpected consequences of global warming happening every month. Things not put into models but real time. Marine life is threatened from warming waters, droughts, as well as catastrophic storms. Don't care who proposes what on campaign trail.
— Ann Schurman (@AnnSchurman) April 29, 2019
Photos taken by our PhD student Aaron Teo#IPCC #ClimateChange #ThunbergThursday pic.twitter.com/CKoiafiAVQ— Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory (@EMEL_NUS) September 26, 2019
