Alaska News

Will climate change shrink fish species?

Will miniature humuhumunukunukuapua'a – a fish native to the tropical waters of around the Hawaiian Islands – be swimming in the chilly Gulf of Alaska at some time in the distant future? It's possible as result of warming ocean temperatures, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

As oceans warm as a result of climate change, fish species will move closer to the Earth's poles, scientists from the university have concluded, the BBC News reported Sunday.

The researchers used climate modeling to foretell the impacts of a warming climate on marine species. Besides moving closer to the poles, scientists also concluded from the research that many fish species will also shrink. That's because oxygen levels will decrease in ocean waters as a result of warming temperatures, according to the models.

Read the full story from BBC News.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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