Climate change could alter Pacific Ocean habitats

Washington Post : To identify marine species and habitats that could be at risk because of global warming, a team of researchers combined predictions of average sea-surface-temperature rise with data from tracking some 4300 animals of 23 different species. In a study published yesterday in Nature Climate Change, Elliott Hazen of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and colleagues found that top ocean predators in the North Pacific could lose as much as 35% of their habitat by the end of the century. Although a few, highly mobile predators, such as tuna and seabirds, may manage just fine, many others will have to shift habitat and travel farther to find food. Such studies of animal movement and real-time oceanography could prove important to policymakers as they work to set aside marine protected areas.