Effect of predicted sea level rise scenarios on green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting

Abstract

There is a growing interest among scientists about climate change and its adverse effects. One of the major adverse effects of climate change is the sea level rise (SLR), which will cause habitat loss for many species and threaten their survival. Sea turtles are an example of animal groups most likely to be threatened by SLR. It is, therefore, critical to predict the effect of SLR on sea turtle habitats to prepare better conservation and management plans that consider the climate change impact. With this aim, we projected the outcomes of SLR on the habitat and nest loss of one of the most important Mediterranean green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting beaches (Samandag, Turkey) using natural nests between 2008 and 2016 nesting seasons. Under the extreme scenario (1.2 m SLR) one-third of the coastal area and up to 18% of natural nests could be lost at a key green turtle nesting beach for this globally unique population.