LOC09:40
06:40 GMT
LONDON, July 15 (KUNA) -- The UK's seas are experiencing warmer
temperatures, rising sea levels, changes in fish stocks and declines in
breeding seabirds as a result of climate change, a report showed Thursday.
According to the annual report for the Government by almost 100 scientists
from 40 leading UK organisations, some fish moved northwards by between 50km
to 400km (30-250 miles) over the past 30 years, with coldwater species such as
monkfish moving furthest.
Plankton, which underpin the marine food chain, are also shifting,
according to the review of what is happening to our seas and potential future
impacts of climate change.
The study said global warming contributed to a nine percent decline in the
number of seabirds breeding in the UK between 2000 and 2008 and a drop in
breeding success.
UK sea levels rose in line with global rises of an average 1.8mm a year
since 1955.
The rate of increase escalated in recent years, with sea levels rising by
3mm a year on average since 1992, the Marine Climate Change Impacts
Partnership said.
The oceans are becoming more acidic, at a rate faster than anything
experienced in the past 55 million years, with concerns for ecosystems and
species that could be affected by the changes.
And sea temperatures are generally rising, although there are fluctuations
between years and UK coastal sea surface temperatures were lower in 2008 than
the 2003 to 2007 average.
The report said warmer temperatures in the seas had an impact on coldwater
species such as cod, threatening the survival of larvae and the growth of the
fish, while salmon and eels were shown to be particularly vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change.
The shifting distribution of fish, partly as a result of climate change,
was having an impact on the effectiveness of closing fishery areas to manage
stocks sustainably.
The report outlines potential impacts of climate change on the UK's seas,
including rises in sea levels which could top half a metre by the end of the
century. (end)
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