Found a way to protect sea turtles from global warming

Green sea turtles (Latin Chelonia mydas) nest on land: dig a hole in the sand and lay eggs in it. The temperature of the conditions in which the clutches are located determines the sex of the future offspring: the warmer, the more likely it is that the female will be born.

As a result of global warming in the populations of sea turtles, a sexual imbalance has arisen, which can increase and lead to their complete extinction.

“In the north of Australia, where the temperature exceeds 29.1 ° C, there is a noticeable predominance of females. When the sand is heated to 34 ° C and higher, the animals die, ”said University of Queensland employee Melissa Staines.

To save the view from a sad perspective, Australian scientists, together with activists of the World Wide Fund for Nature, found ways to protect the turtle nests from overheating. They intend to cool them by leading channels with sea water and close them with canopies made of palm leaves. Such simple solutions are suitable for wild islands, where the construction of an irrigation system is impossible due to lack of resources.