Sharks are among some of the planet's oldest creatures. They have survived millions of years and have typically come out on top. Alongside of them are the rays. Both of these creatures have graced our oceans for a very long time. However, with climate change steadily increasing how is it changing sharks' and rays' patterns? The answer may just surprise you.
How Climate Change Is Changing Sharks' And Rays' Patterns
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When we hear the words climate change we automatically have a negative connotation in our minds. Images of melting ice caps and starving polar bears begin to flood our brains. However as it turns out, climate change hasn't been all bad for sharks and rays. Science Daily reveals that a study showed "higher temperatures and more shallow water areas have a positive effect" on the creatures.
However, do not be fooled. It is not all sunshines and rainbows. While there may have been some silver linings to these events, climate change is definitely changing sharks' and rays' patterns, but how? Well, blame the higher levels of CO2. First and foremost, both sharks and rays have been at risk for several years now. Their population sizes have been dwindling thanks to over-exploitation and habitat destruction.
But, scientists knew there was more to the story than that. So they began to study fossilized sharks. They did this to "determine the species diversity for each age and compared with the climate data of the respective age." To summarize they wanted to discover what sorts of environmental changes most affected or influenced the diversity of the sharks and rays. Then, they wanted to use that data to determine how our current climate change conditions are changing sharks' and rays' patterns.
What Did They Find?
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I will admit that I was surprised by one of the study's findings. The study found that "higher temperatures and more shallow water areas have a positive effect" on both sharks and rays. However, the study also found that " a higher carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration clearly has a negative effect." While the exact impacts need to be studied further, there is a direct correlation between the level of CO2 and the physiological effects on these creatures.
Some examples include impacting the animal's sense and changes in their skeleton structure "during embryonic development." While the more plentiful warmer, shallow water offers than more stable conditions year round, the increased CO2 can have disastrous affects when it comes to changing the sharks' and rays' patterns. According to the fossil records, "a higher CO2 content contributed to the extinction of individual shark and ray species" of the past.
With this new information coming out, hopefully scientists can point us in the right direction on how to perverse these majestic creates.
