Yachtsmen's marine paradise hit by global warming
- Mon, 8 Feb 2010
- Comments (4)
The yachtsman's wildlife ocean paradise of the Galapagos Islands is facing unprecedented changes because of global warming, the BBC reports following the release of a new scientific survey.
The Peru-based Organisation for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals has discovered a colony of sea lions endemic to the Galapagos Islands have moved 1,500km away.
Orca says the sea lions have swum to northern Peru because of rising temperatures caused by climate change. Experts say it is the first time that Galapagos sea lions have set up a colony outside the islands.
The monitors say the water temperature in Piura, off the coast of northern Peru, has risen from 17C to 23C over the last 10 years.The temperature is much closer to the sea temperature around the Galapagos Islands, which averages about 25C.
Now that the conditions of the sea around northern Peru are so similar to the Galapagos, they say, even more sea lions and other new marine species could start arriving.
Like so many native species in the Galapagos Islands, the sea lions are unique to the archipelago, located about 600 miles west of continental Ecuador. Ever since the English naturalist, Charles Darwin, first visited the islands more than 150 years ago, they have become known as a living museum of evolution.
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February 08 18:00
Barbara West
In fact the migrants are fur seals, not sea lions.
I don't know where the 25C average water temperature came from, but only at the end of the hot season does it get above 22C in the east, and 2-5C lower in the west.
February 09 18:19
Rick Vecchio
Correction: They're fur seals, not sea lions.
http://www.peruviantimes.com/correction-colony-of-galapagos-fur-seals-in-northern-peru/094878
February 09 19:17
Les Stagpool
I think this has more to do with the PDO that with 'Global Warming'. Be aware that the BBC are in no way unbiased when it comes to reporting 'Global Warming' especially as The BBC is the only media organisation in Britain whose pension fund is a member of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, which has more than 50 members across Europe.
Its chairman is Peter Dunscombe, also the BBC’s Head of Pensions Investment.
Clearly you are unaware of Climategate and Glaciergate and are happy to peddle unsubstantiated 'facts' AGW is a busted flush.
February 09 23:14
Paul Gibson
So species are migrating to different areas? Nothing new then, as millions of species of all types have migrated around different parts of the globe since time began. I'd be more worried if diversification didn't take place. another scare-mongering story from scientists increasingly under pressure from people who are now daring to challenge so-called 'truths'. Scientists aren't always right or honest as we've seen recently [MMR, Himalyan glaciers etc] or in the past,[thalidomide,new Ice Age in the 70's, belief that cholera was spread by smell, imposible to climb Everest without oxygen, Earth is flat etc]. Hopefully more and more people will see things for real, not what governments and others want you to believe.