{"id":59514,"date":"2024-07-02T15:20:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T14:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/?p=59514"},"modified":"2024-07-02T15:20:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T14:20:09","slug":"record-high-sea-surface-temperatures-a-rising-threat-to-seabirds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/blog\/2024\/07\/02\/record-high-sea-surface-temperatures-a-rising-threat-to-seabirds\/","title":{"rendered":"Record high sea surface temperatures: a rising threat to seabirds"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
\n

Global sea surface temperatures are rising and have hit record high values in recent months. This potentially threatens seabirds, their prey and their habitats, both on land and at sea. Despite ongoing efforts to understand how species are affected by this growing threat, more data and interdisciplinary studies are needed to develop adequate conservation strategies. This blog post, and the accompanying collection of Bird Conservation International<\/em> (BCI) papers, are released on World Seabird Day (3 July 2024) to help raise awareness and encourage further research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seabirds are important indicators of marine health, and are currently one of the most threatened groups of birds globally. They face a range of threats both on land and at sea, and consequently many species are declining. Among these threats is the ongoing increase in global sea surface temperature (SST) reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)<\/a> and mainstream media<\/a>, with the last ten consecutive months (during 2023\u20132024) having witnessed the highest SST<\/a> levels on record.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The impact of SST on seabirds has been assessed by a range of species distribution models, with a variety of results. For example, this study<\/a> found that the probability of occurrence of Salvin\u2019s Albatross Thalassarche salvini<\/em> (Vulnerable) was negatively affected by high SST values, whereas that of Black Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni<\/em> (Vulnerable) was affected positively.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The distribution of Salvin\u2019s Albatross is negatively impacted by high SST values.<\/em>\u00a9 Eric J. Woehler<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Other attempts have not found such clear relationships between SST and seabird distribution patterns, as in these studies on Red-legged Cormorant Poikilocarbo gaimardi<\/em><\/a> (Near Threatened) and Japanese Murrelet Synthliboramphus wumizusume<\/em><\/a> (Vulnerable), although variations may arise when comparing impacts on different colonies and\/or different times of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is however growing evidence of other indirect effects of climate change and rising SST on seabirds, piling extra pressure on species that are already threatened by other factors. These effects have been discussed in a range of BCI papers, which are freely available for a limited period as a collection<\/a>. Some of the negative impacts on seabirds include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n