Banks, Bev. (2020, January 28). Ocean Heat Waves Linked to Rise in Whale Entanglements. Retrieved February 23, 2020, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ocean-heat-wav es-linked-to-rise-in-whale-entanglements/
The effects of warming waters have had extremely detrimental effects on coral reef ecosystems, like coral bleaching, and is arguably the first signal of changes from warming oceans. If this continues, the problems will only increase in volume, one of which includes whales searching nearer to the shore for krill populations that are closer to active fisheries– resulting in more whales becoming ensnared in fishing nets.
I found this article interesting, as it showed how something seemingly random, like whales getting caught in fishing nets, can actually have a pretty specific cause. I was intrigued by how they connected coral reefs to the overall issue, or at least how they phrased it, as though the ‘signal’ was referring to something that wasn’t already well-known, especially considering that the lead scientist for the study had already done extensive studies on climate change, specifically regarding its effect on marine life.
I think this is a perfect example of how the effects of climate change can have a ripple effect. Just like you said, whales getting ensnared in fishing nests seems like a pretty remote and random, but I think that just reinforces how far the effects of climate change can reach. What would be an effective way of explaining this ripple effect to people who don’t understand climate change?