Research Project
Full description To assess the immediate risk of climate-induced feminisation for sea turtle populations located close to the equator, temperature data loggers were used to document and record the sand temperature at nest depth from 2018 - 2022 on two sea turtle nesting islands (Irai and Panasesa) in Papua New Guinea. These data were used to generate a model that hindcasted and projected sand temperatures using historical air temperature and future air temperature anomalies for the region. These modelled sand temperature trends were then used to generate estimates of hatchling sex ratios. These estimates provide us with a long-term understanding of the primary sex ratios produced at an important rookery for hawksbill and green turtles in the Coral Sea.