Sharks and oysters began to prosper in warmer British waters

The United Kingdom could see a boom of endangered sharks, native rays and oysters while species move habitats to respond to the increase in temperatures in the ocean, according to scientists.

But some, including a clam which is the longest living animal in the world, could find it difficult to adapt.

Researchers from the Center for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science have cartographed for the first time how 19 threatened marine species will react to climate change in British seas.

Many creatures could find new houses in some parts of the North Sea which should become hot dots of biodiversity over the next 50 years, although the disturbance of climate change can also have negative effects on the marine ecosystem.

In May, an intense heat wave warmed British waters up to 4 degrees warmer than usual.

“As an island nation, we are extremely dependent on the sea for our food and for jobs. All the changes we see in our seas are particularly impactful,” said Bryony Townhill, marine scientist at Cefas, in BBC News.

The analysis should guide the government when it plans to ensure that so -called protected marine areas (AMP) continue to protect species even if they change habitat.

The world’s oceans warm up because they have absorbed up to 90% of the additional heating created when humans burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas.

British seas are a hotspot for these effects of climate change and are among the 20 places in the world that have warmed up the fastest in the last 50 years.

Fishermen’s communities and sea swimmers have already noticed the difference, with jellyfish reports close to the beaches or Mediterranean octopuses transported in fish sockets.

For this report, scientists examined two different projections for sea temperatures, salinity and sediment levels until 2060.

They compared the oceanic environment changing to the favorite habitats of 19 species which are currently vulnerable in the United Kingdom.

The greatest winners are native oysters, sharks and spurdog sharks – which can reach 1.6 meters – and spines – a type of radius with thorns.

Overall, mobile species will be accompanied better, while static creatures will have more difficulty adapting.

A small creature called a maritime pen, which helps to build reefs, could lose up to 40% of their appropriate habitat by the end of the century.

And the Ocean Quahog, a type of clam that can live more than 500 years, which makes it the longest live animal, should fight.

A drop in these species could have training impacts on ecosystems and food chains.

Scientists were surprised by some of the results.

“I did not expect the native oysters to manage well. Frankly, they have decreased and disappear for 100 years – and yet the climate model suggests that they should go well and perhaps even prospered,” explains Professor Pinnegar.

But he takes care to add that although there are new potential habitats, these vulnerable species must always be protected against threats such as fishing equipment, disease or pollution.

“We do not necessarily promise an increase in the number – the seas must still be managed with care and other reduced pressures if creatures must thrive in new habitats,” he said.

The movement of these 19 marine species is likely to have a training effect on the coastal communities of the North Sea, including potentially larger catches of fish, according to Dr. Townhill.

The results are published in The Science Journal Marine Biology.

A distinct study of the United Kingdom is Office, published in the Weather journal, highlights the growing probability of extreme air temperatures for the United Kingdom.

The chances of seeing temperatures above 40c are now more than 20 times higher than those of the 1960s, say scientists. And these chances will continue to increase.

This means that there is a 50% chance of seeing a day of 40 ° C in the next 12 years, they add.

Some parts of the United Kingdom have reached more than 40 ° C for the first time recorded in July 2022, during a heat wave which caused a generalized disruption of transport networks and health systems.

The scientists of the World Weather attribution Group had already found that such temperatures were “almost impossible” without the climate change caused by humans.

Additional reports by Mark Poynting