Tropicalisation

December 2, 2023

Rising sea temperatures due to climate change are causing tropical marine species to move from the equator towards the poles, according to a study.
The research also shows that temperate species are receding as it gets too warm, they face increased competition for habitat, and new predators arrive on the scene.
This mass movement of marine life, termed tropicalisation, is changing the ecological landscape of oceans and leading to a cascade of consequences for ecosystems, biodiversity, and potentially the global economy.
The warm-water boundary currents are heating faster than the global seawater average, facilitating the poleward movement of species, and reinforcing the retraction of temperate species.
The first instance of this process was identified in the Mediterranean Sea, now considered a “tropicalisation hotspot” due to an increase in tropical species present.