Impact of Climate Change on Loggerhead Turtles

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The Impact of Climate Change on Loggerhead Sea Turtles on the Atlantic Coast of Florida Lauren DeGeorge, Kristin Spiess, Chelsea Linman, Jake Fitzgerald, Kate Forsmark , & El Lorenz \ Introduction Loggerhead sea turtles are an iconic beach reptile. In the face of climate change there is a possibility that this species could be lost without proper mitigation techniques. Loggerheads rely on temperature of both water and air and the availability of beaches in order to properly reproduce, nest, provide nutrients to costal ecosystems, and continue life in the ocean functioning as an important species in sea grass, coral reef, and beach ecosystems (Hawkes, L. A., Broderick, A. C., Godfrey, M. H., & Godley, J., 2007, Wilson, E. G., Miller, K. L., Allison, D., & Magliocca, M., 2003). Climate change threatens Loggerhead sea turtles reproduction processes because of changes in sea temperature, increased storm activity and sea level rise. This can be prevented, however; with proper mitigation measures which include educating the public, continued practice of current conservation methods and increasing the amount of protected shorelines. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview and analysis of the current literature and to present an estimate of the future populations Loggerhead sea turtles in a changing climate without mitigation. We will also provide a suggestion of the proper mitigation technique to reduce the harmful impacts of climate change and save Loggerhead sea turtle populations on the Atlantic coast of Florida. To do this we used various database and internet sources to gather information on Loggerheads, climate change, and previous studies done on this topic. We then synthesized this data to come to our conclusion. Loggerhead sea turtles The Loggerhead turtle is abundant on the Atlantic Coast of Florida with about 80% percent

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