While some of the effects of global warming, such as rising sea levels and weather-related weather disasters, are fairly covered by various media outlets, one particular effect on a certain species seems to be elusive to the American public, but nevertheless important: sea turtles.
Sea turtles are majestic, underwater creatures that come above ground to lay their eggs. They are known for vibrant shell patterns, and of course, for their cameo in the film Finding Nemo.
However, such creatures have lifestyles that can be thrown significantly out of balance by even slight variations, especially in the area of temperature.
Sea turtle eggs hatch in the sand. When the sand is hot, this can result in a decreased hatching rate, or even decimate the entire nest. Perhaps even more odd, rising temperatures can make sea turtle species extinct, just maybe not for the reason you initially think.
You see, the gender of a sea turtle is not set upon the egg being laid. The gender of a sea turtle is determined by the temperature of the sand surrounding the egg. If the sand is above a certain temperature, the eggs hatch into females. Below, the eggs hatch into males. That's right: global warming is causing sex ratios in hatching sites to be significantly skewed, with far more females being born than males. Some sites have even been discovered in which 99% of sea turtles hatched were female.
If more and more females and less and less males are born, then eventually, there won't be enough males present with which females can mate and have more eggs, significantly diminishing the population of future generations.
Global warming affects so much more than what meets the eye, and its scope exceeds just humanity.