A new survey indicates a stunning change in migration gateways due to global warming as various marine mammals and marine life are competing and interacting in new and potentially dangerous ways, according to Science Daily. Hydrophone surveys show that humpback whales and fin whales are being given new waterways as a result of climate changes, according to a press release.
These new migratory gateways could mean more food for the whales, but it could also cause more competition between species.
The way that marine mammals eat and live can inform scientists on how severe climate change is, as the two often correlate somehow.
There are some animals that can adapt and even benefit from the changes, finding new habitats and food sources, however, others end up without enough food or displaced in an unsuitable environment. "We see winners and losers as changes accelerate, and some of the winners are likely to be those that are most adaptable and resilient to change," said Sue Moore, senior scientist at NOAA Fisheries.
The most popular example of a losing species is the polar bear, robbed of its polar ice needed to haul and hunt.
The survey's findings, among others, were presented at the the Society of Marine Mammalogy's Biennial Conference in San Francisco.
