Climate Scientists Warn That Fish Will Be Under Even More Water By 2065

Image for article titled Climate Scientists Warn That Fish Will Be Under Even More Water By 2065

SEATTLE—Citing models that showed how rising temperatures and melting sea ice were contributing to the phenomenon, scientists affiliated with the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington warned Thursday that fish would be under even more water by the year 2065. “If we fail to combat the climate crisis, then four decades from now our oceans will actually cover the fish more than they do today,” said conservation ecologist Melissa Harkins, who observed that sea levels were currently rising at one-eighth of an inch annually, forcing marine life to be submerged by trillions of gallons of additional water every year. “Though fish are swimming around in quite a bit of water as it is, that amount is only expected to increase. These populations are vital to our ocean ecosystems, and we’re about to see all of them—salmon, octopuses, sharks, you name it—slip deeper and deeper beneath the waves that already cover their heads.” As shocking as this projection may seem, the scientists went on to speculate that fish may be under more water still by 2100.