Ross Seal  |  

Ross Seals depend on sea ice for reproduction and at some time in the future they could be adversely affected by a reduction in sea ice due to continued climate warming.

Our very limited knowledge about the species makes it difficult to make any projections about how global climate change might affect the Ross Seal.

Climate change will affect them when loss of sufficient areas of consolidated ice habitat used for pupping; resting; and avoidance of predators comes to a critical level.

The effects of loss of large amounts of ice on the Antarctic continent; general climate warming; or sea level rises on Antarctic Ocean circulation and productivity and on Antarctic marine resources such as seals are largely unknown.

The major causes of the Dugong s decline along the urban coast of Queensland are still present in most of the Dugong s range as follows gill netting; subsistence hunting; habitat loss from extreme weather events that are likely to be exacerbated by climate change; human settlement and agricultural pollution.

Climate change is projected to lead to altered coastal environmental condition and increases in severe tropical storms and flood events that could affect both Dugongs and their seagrass habitats exacerbating the effects of the other drivers listed above (see Marsh et al. 2011 for details).