Updated December 06, 2024 at 11:21 AM ET
Plummeting temperatures across New England are ushering in another season of cold-weather struggles for the region's sea turtles.
Sea turtles suffering from hypothermia are washing up on the beaches of Cape Cod, Mass. — a situation that has become routine in the region as a result of climate change. With the water dropping to 30 degrees Fahrenheit colder than what they're used to, the turtles become debilitated, float to the surface and are blown ashore.
Some 300 cold-stunned turtles have washed up in recent days, as Cape Cod member station WCAI reports.
Some of the turtles are being brought to the New England Aquarium for rehabilitation — which says it treats hundreds of injured turtles each year.
NPR's Michel Martin spoke with Adam Kennedy, the aquarium's director of rescue and rehabilitation, about what's causing the turtles' health troubles and what can be done to help them recover.
Sea turtles live in the water. Why are they getting hypothermia?
"You know, it is confusing," Kennedy said. "You would think the animals that are in the ocean would be fine and adapt to this.
There are four species of sea turtles around Cape Cod: Kemp's ridley, Loggerhead, Green, and Leatherback.
They come into the Cape Cod Bay during the summer when the water is warm — but are unable to get out when the temperature drops in later months. Turtles are reptiles, so their internal body temperature will be what the surrounding water is, Kennedy said.
"These turtles should actually be in a lot warmer water and they want to head south," he said. But if you know the shape of Massachusetts, it's a nice flexed arm out into the Atlantic Ocean and that acts as a trap and doesn't really allow them to head straight south."
A rapidly warming Gulf of Maine is partly to blame
The Gulf of Maine is believed to be one of the fastest-warming regions in the ocean, according to findings from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information.
"The phenomenon of the Gulf of Maine warming as quickly as it is and has been, is allowing these turtles that normally, the majority would be kept out of Cape Cod Bay due that cold, cold water, it actually now allows them to kind of funnel into Cape Cod Bay for a good chunk of time during the summer. " Kennedy said.
He says other fish can get trapped in Cape Cod Bay but it's mostly turtles that are negatively affected by the colder water.
Rehabilitating a hypothermic turtle takes time
Volunteers from Mass Audubon work to rescue the cold-stunned turtles on the shore day and night, and then bring them to the New England Aquarium for rehabilitation.
The turtles can take anywhere from several months to two years to reach a point where they're able to be released back into the ocean, according to the Aquarium.
Because they're too cold — the aquarium heats them up, but does so slowly — about 10 degrees Fahrenheit per day, until they're swimming in the mid-70s. Kennedy says changing the temperature too rapidly can be deadly for these sea turtles.
"All the turtles that come in will get radiographs," Kennedy said. "We see a lot of pneumonia, so we'll have to treat those with antibiotics. The turtles all get fluid therapy and any emergency meds that they may need. If their heart rates are really low, they'll get epinephrine. If they're not breathing, it will give them another stimulant drug to sort that up."
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