ClimateWatch Magazine » Rising Sea Levels Threaten Hawaiian Sea Turtles’ Nesting Sites
While coastal development, sea walls, and other protective barriers cause big problems for sea turtles in developed areas of the world, they are only occasionally troublesome for turtles nesting in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Of more concern in this area is sea level rise.
Rising sea levels reduce the beach area on these islands, and could eventually submerge them.
It’s happened before: in the 1960s Whaleskate Island was the second largest nesting beach for green turtles in French Frigate Shoals. It eroded considerably and was completely submerged by the late 1990s. If the same thing happens to other islands where green turtles nest, the impact on wildlife could be catastrophic.
