Animals on the move due to global warming

Animals and plants adapting faster than anticipated to climatic change    

According to a new study from the biology department of York University, published earlier this month, animals and plants appear to be adapting by migrating three times faster than anticipated to changing climatic conditions.  Examples given include the Cetti's warbler bird which has moved 150 kms North from Kent to the Humber, the Comma butterfly which has moved from central England to Edinburgh (220kms) and the Little Egret which has recently colonised Britain, a place originally too cold for this species.

While responses like this to global warming have been predicted, this study is the first to show that animal and plant species have moved furthest in the regions where the climate has warmed the most. It appears that species are tending to move towards the poles in search of their more accustomed temperatures as their traditional habitats warm up.

Professor Chris Thomas claims the study shows that; "these changes are equivalent to animals and plants shifting away from the equator at around 20 centimetres per hour, for every hour of the day, for every day of the year. This has been going on for the last 40 years and is set to continue for at least the rest of this century. "

The research team analysed data from a variety of studies and found over 2,000 examples of how animal and plant species have adapted by moving their habitat.  Results showed that, on average, species have moved to higher ground at a rate of 12.2 metres per decade, and moved closer to the poles at the faster speed of 17.6 metres per decade.

Thomas goes on to say that for the first time the study showed, "that species have moved furthest in regions where the climate has warmed the most" and that this, "unambiguously links the changes in where species survive to climate warming over the last 40 years."

Another recent study of a key glacier in Greenland showed that it is melting faster than previously expected. Greenland's longest-observed glacier, Mittivakkat Glacier, made two consecutive record losses in 2010 and 2011. Observations indicate that the total 2011 mass budget loss was 2.45 metres. The 2011 value was also significantly above the 16 year average loss of 0.97 metres per year.

Sources: www.guardian.co.uk/environment and www.sciencemag.org

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