Thousands of Species Are Fleeing to Earth's Poles en Masse

https://www.sciencealert.com/as-the-world-gets-hotter-thousands-of-species-are-fleeing-to-earth-s-poles

CARLY CASSELLA
31 MAY 2020

We know that global warming is forcing many animals around the world to flee their normal habitats, but now, an exhaustive analysis has shown marine species are booking it for the poles six times faster than those on land.

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This discrepancy between land and water could exist for several reasons. It might, for instance, be a product of temperature sensitivity. Air conducts heat 25 times less effectively than water, and many land animals can easily regulate their body temperature if they want.

On the whole, this would logically leave marine species and many ectotherms - cold-blodded species - much more susceptible to Earth's fluctuating temperatures.

Plus, animals in the water can migrate a lot easier if the need arises. On land, human activities often impede the movement of animals. In fact, when animals were exposed to a high degree of anthropogenic disturbances, the authors of this analysis found they tended to move against the thermal grain and not with it.

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Today, as temperature increases squeeze animals into ever-narrowing habitat ranges, those animals already swimming towards he poles are also at risk of running out of cooler water.

Of course, this is happening on land, too. Animals found high up in the mountains are said to be riding an "escalator to extinction" as temperatures and competition push them over the brink. It's just that in the water this escalator seems to be moving faster.

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