by The habitat of one of the sweetest endangered animals in the world is threatened by man -made climate change.
The Caspian seal is the only marine mammal that can be found in the 143,200 square mile-caspic sea. Now researchers say that the water level in the world’s largest internal committee with the increase in temperatures becomes lower.
But there is hope for the local species – when people take “urgent” measures, experts state.
“A certain decline in the Caspian sea level appears inevitable, even in measures to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Simon Goodman from the University of the United Kingdom in a statement.
He added: “This may sound like a long period of time, but given the immense political, legislative and logistical challenges, it is advisable to start the best chances of success as soon as possible.”
Goodman supervised new studies on the forced situation of the Seals, which was published in the magazine on Thursday Natural communication earth and the environment.
Even if global warming is limited to less than 3.6 degrees (2 degrees Celsius), it is likely that the sea level – Russia and Iran borders – will drop by 16 to 32 feet. If the temperatures continue to rise, the researchers said around 2100 by up to 68 feet.
An area that is larger than the size of Iceland should dry out even in an optimistic scenario.
The entire shrinking and drying could have significant consequences for the biological diversity and the coastal communities that rely on the water resource, the researchers warn.
For humans, an exposed sea floor will probably release dust that contains industrial contamination and salt and threatens human health.
The loss of water could also further influence the climate, which leads to reduced rainfall and drier conditions in Central Asia.
In addition to the seal, there are hundreds of fish species and invertebrates who live in the Caspian Sea. Among them are six types of interference, and a falling water level is expected to restrict your access to spawning renders. In the case of Caspic seals, this also means a significantly reduced breeding habitat, with a decline of 16 feet reducing the ice in the north of sea, where the seals are born by up to 81 percent.
According to the Caspian Policy Center, there are now an estimated 75,000 and 270,000 seals in the sea. The population was estimated at almost a million once in the early 20th century. The seal was listed in 2008 by the International Union for nature conservation preservation as endangered.
The seals have already been threatened by hunting, fishing operations, diseases, disorders of the food chain and the loss of the habitat. The Caspian Sea is also threatened by pollution, overfishing and invasive species.
The decline in sea level is expected to produce all areas on land in which the seals are currently inaccessible. In addition, reporting on existing marine protection areas is expected to disappear almost exclusively for all countries, but will disappear in Kazakhstan.
In the future, the authors recommended that affected areas reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the planet, monitor ecosystems, support resilient coastal infrastructures and enable laws that enable the creation of protected areas.
“We hope that this research will help to raise awareness of the trajectory and the possible effects of the falling sea level,” said Dr. Rebecca Court, a researcher at Leeds. “The mapping should better equip political decision -makers and conservationists in order to plan and tackle the numerous problems in advance.”
