PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 6, 2023
A first-of-its-kind assessment says whales, dolphins and seals living in U.S. waters face major threats from the warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels and decreasing sea ice associated with climate change. 72% of the stocks were highly or very highly vulnerable to climate change. The warming ocean primarily harms marine mammals by altering their ability to find food and reducing their amount of suitable habitat. However, changes in ocean temperature and chemistry also can change sound transmission. That can affect the sonar-like echolocation marine mammals such as dolphins use to communicate and hunt.