Climate Change for National Geographic Magazine
Salmon fishing, Campbell River, Johnstone Straits. - As the waters of the Pacific grow warmer, salmon are changing their migration routes in search of colder water. Warming oceans could threaten Pacific Northwest salmon because the highly temperature-sensitive fish live in ocean areas likely to be affected by global warming. already they are starting to change their migrating habits. If atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase at current rates, the North Pacific Ocean could warm two degrees Celsius by 2070, a study by the Pacific Biological Station in British Columbia said. That shift could reduce the salmon's preferred cold-water habitat areas by 50% in the summer, and possibly make the entire ocean too warm for any salmon species to survive during the winter. Salmon might have to migrate into the Bering Sea and out of the North Pacific Ocean entirely to find cold enough water during the winter months. Aurora image #1887405603
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