Basking sea turtles not as common due to warming seas

With the seas warming overtime, sea turtles that bask on the beach, to regulate their body temperature and aid their immune systems and digestion, may stop. According to a survey, turtles have been found basking more often each year when the sea surface temperatures drop. Along with this survey, a study shows that "if global warming trends continue, this behavior may cease globally by 2102 or even earlier." Kyle Van Houtan and his team conducted a study, using six years of turtle count data, to see the amount of turtles basking over the years. According the Houtan, "by comparing turtle basking counts with sea surface temperatures, we found that green turtles tend not to bask when local winter sea surface temperatures stay above 23 degrees Celsius." The study found the counts to be regular, seasonal fluctuations in the number of turtles basking. The fluctuations correlated with sea temperatures, leading to sea turtles basking more when the water is cool. More research is needed to understand the importance of basking and the climate change. With beach basking being observed in tropical places, such as Hawaii and the Galapagos, the sea surface temperatures have been warming at three times the global average rate. According to Van Houtan, "the next step for us is to look at how turtles are storing climate data in their bodies - in their tissues, shells, and bones, and how we can tease that out. I find this article very informative and interesting to see something that we do for pleasure and happiness is really important to sea turtles. With warming sea temperatures, sea turtles are at risk of stopping and possibly basking in the water.