A new project, between Charles Darwin University (CDU), Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and indigenous ranger groups, will investigate how sea level rise and increasing sand temperature may affect Northern Australia’s turtle populations.
According to researchers, climate change poses a significant threat to turtle populations in northern Australia with rising sea levels resulting in more and more turtle nests being drowned and an increase in sand temperature affecting hatching success and the gender of hatchlings.
CDU Senior Research Fellow and project lead, Dr Rachel Groom, said this project is collecting critical data to support the conservation of turtles that live and nest in northern Australia and to counter the threat.
“Turtles are threatened species that are vulnerable to many impacts,” Dr Groom said.
“Climate change is a process driving significant changes in nesting populations though we don’t have the data to quantify these impacts so this research will help answer questions that underpin the conservation of these animals.”
“Through this project, we will work in partnership with Aboriginal communities across the Top End to better understand the current and projected impacts climate change is likely to have on these culturally important animals.”
The project involves researchers undertaking risk-based modelling of sea-level rise and temperature on NT nesting beaches. They will record the hatching success of three nesting stocks and conduct a range of fieldwork to characterise nesting habitats and record beach and in-nest temperatures.
“We will look at a range of things including sea level rise models, oceanographic data, predation pressure and information around sea surface temperature to help us determine which nesting areas are most vulnerable to impact,” Dr Groom said.
Dr Vinay Udyawer from AIMS said climate driven factors affect marine turtle nesting populations differently, and in some cases, non-climate-related factors like nest predation could have a more pronounced impact.
“We’ll be conducting the project across key nesting locations in the NT with the aim to identify the specific processes most likely to influence each species and genetic stock,” Dr Udyawer said.
“This assessment will enable us to develop precise mitigation strategies tailored to the unique challenges faced by these populations.”
