Researchers found that as oceans warm, the distribution of marine predators will shift toward the poles.
According to the study, this could result in widespread loss of habitats, triggering a redistribution of top marine predators.
Climate change is one of the greatest threats to ecosystems our world and has a significant impact on the oceans.
According to new research, top marine predators could suffer extensive habitat loss by 2100 due to global warming.
These negative effects will also harm the food web, fisheries, and coastal communities.
A study conducted on 12 species of marine predators, including sharks, revealed that most will face substantial habitat loss and will need to seek new habitats, abandoning current habitats in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico by 2100.
These areas are among the fastest-warming regions in the ocean, with water temperatures expected to rise 1 to 6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, indicating climate in marine ecosystems. In some cases, iconic species of economic and ecological importance could lose more than 70 percent of their suitable habitats by the end of the century.
Published in the journal Science Advances, the study states that as oceans warm, marine predator distributions will move toward the poles.
The ongoing and projected effects of climate change emphasize the urgent need for adaptive and proactive management of dynamic marine ecosystems, as habitat loss could trigger redistribution of top predators.
The research, led by Dr. Cameron Brown, a marine ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, identified coastal areas of the southeastern United States and central Atlantic Ocean as projected hotspots for multi-species habitat loss.
The researchers studied three sharks (blue shark, sandbar shark, and mako shark), five tuna species (albacore, bigeye, bluefin, black skipjack, and yellowfin tuna), and four billfish species (sailfish, Atlantic blue sailfish, white sailfish, and swordfish).
Although the model framework could not account for species-specific adaptive capacity or thermal tolerance, the findings suggest widespread and dominant habitat loss for nearly all species included. “Climate change is expected to fundamentally alter the status quo of where these species are and how they live. While we do not fully understand all the details of how this change will look in the future, this study is a step toward identifying potential shifts so we can take action,” said Dr. Brown.
The research team used 30 years of satellite data, an oceanographic model, and biological data to estimate how climate change has affected and will continue to affect fish species in the studied regions.
“Our research, not just based on predictions, but based on empirical data from recent decades.
The findings highlight the importance of using NASA and other satellite imagery data to understand how ocean environments change and impact commercially important marine species such as swordfish and tuna,” said Rebecca Lawson, Professor of Biology and Conservation Ecology at San Diego State University’s Coastal and Marine Institute, a co-author of the study.
Toby Curtis, an expert in fishery management at the Atlantic Migratory Species Division of NOAA Fisheries, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, added: “The findings not only shed light on the far reaching impacts of climate change on ocean environments but also emphasize that conservation and management efforts must account for these ongoing changes.
If migratory species are on the move, fishing vessels and coastal communities will also need to adapt to avoid harming them. Studies like this help marine resource agencies become more dynamic in their decision-making.”
Changes in habitat and species distribution among the marine predators studied raise concerns due to the socioeconomic impact of climate change on fishing communities.
According to the researchers, concentrated changes in species distribution underscore the need for adaptive management approaches capable of responding to expected changes.
The study indicates that static fishery management measures will continue to lose ecological relevance and economic effectiveness as species distributions shift under climate change.
Dr. Brown noted that the motivation for the research is not only to better understand future changes among marine predators and ecosystems but also to comprehend how environmental changes affect human communities, particularly those living along the coast, and their livelihoods, primarily through commercial fishing.
“We are doing our best to anticipate what will happen in the future so people can adapt and so we can develop management policies suitable for climate change, as past approaches that worked for previous climate conditions are no longer relevant, especially looking ahead,” concluded Dr. Brown.