Migrating Plankton could Cause Ecosystem Collapse
In 10 seconds? Warming ocean waters could cause marine plankton to move away from the tropics. This in turn could hit ecosystems – home to tuna and billfish – and the local economies, dependent on them.
How do we know this? Researchers have looked at where the tiny organisms in the seas lived millions of years ago, when the climate was similar to the current one. From the records, they deducted that the plankton would migrate away to similar latitudes where it flourished in the past… that is, away from the tropics. And this would have consequences for local marine life and local human communities.