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Sea level rise impacts to Canaveral sea turtle nests will be substantial

Date:
March 4, 2020
Source:
University of Central Florida
Summary:
The study examined loggerhead and green sea turtle nests to predict beach habitat loss at four national seashores by the year 2100. When comparing nesting density with beach loss at the sites, they found nesting habitat loss would not be equal. By 2100, Canaveral would lose about 1 percent of its loggerhead habitat; the others will lose approximately 2.5 to 6.7% each. Canaveral's loss is smaller, but the impact greater because of nesting density.
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FULL STORY

Sea level rise and hurricanes are a threat to sea turtle nesting habitat along national seashores in the Southeast, but a new study predicts the greatest impact to turtles will be at Canaveral National Seashore.

The University of Central Florida-led study, which was published recently in the journalEcological Applications, examined loggerhead and green sea turtle nests to predict the amount of beach habitat loss at Canaveral, Cumberland Island, Cape Lookout, and Cape Hatteras national seashores by the year 2100. Sea turtles help maintain the coastal ecosystem and are indicators for the health of sandy beaches.

When comparing sea turtle nesting density with predicted beach loss at the sites, they found nesting habitat loss would not be equal. The researchers predicted that by 2100, Canaveral would lose about 1 percent of its loggerhead habitat, while the three other seashores will lose between approximately 2.5 to 6.7 percent each.

Although Canaveral's percentage loss is smaller, the impact at this national seashore will be greater because of its nesting density.

"Canaveral is part of the core loggerhead nesting area for the Southeast," says Marta Lyons, a preeminent postdoctoral fellow in UCF's Department of Biology and the study's lead author. "The nests are already pretty well packed in there, so even a small loss of area can have a big impact on nesting sea turtle populations."

To determine beach loss at the study sites, the researchers used sea level rise and storm surge estimates and considered the effects of impervious structures along the shorelines, such as roads and buildings, in restricting natural beach movement. To do this, they developed a new method to calculate current and future sea turtle nesting areas that takes into account nesting data, beach length and width, and the impact of impervious surfaces.

Lyons says one of the goals was to create digital maps for the National Park Service to understand how sea turtle nesting areas will change with sea level rise and how resources could be managed.

"As the National Park Service thinks about future developments, whether that's putting in a new lifeguard station or new bathrooms, this method of calculating current and future sea turtle nesting area can help them decide where to put them," she says.

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Story Source:

Materialsprovided byUniversity of Central Florida. Original written by Robert Wells.注:内容可能edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Marta P. Lyons, Betsy Von Holle, Maria A. Caffrey, John F. Weishampel.Quantifying the impacts of future sea level rise on nesting sea turtles in the southeastern USA.Ecological Applications, 2020; DOI:10.1002/eap.2100

Cite This Page:

University of Central Florida. "Sea level rise impacts to Canaveral sea turtle nests will be substantial." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 March 2020. .
University of Central Florida. (2020, March 4). Sea level rise impacts to Canaveral sea turtle nests will be substantial.ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 29, 2023 from www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200304141453.htm
University of Central Florida. "Sea level rise impacts to Canaveral sea turtle nests will be substantial." ScienceDaily. www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200304141453.htm (accessed July 29, 2023).

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