Animal habitats are being 'squeezed out' of England's estuaries by climate change
Migratory lapwings and waders at the Thames Estuary. Analysis of England’s estuaries using river obstacles data shows 57 per cent are bounded by barriers at their upper limits – putting them at risk threat of climate changeEstuaries are key for maintaining wildlife, such as wading birds, as breeding and nursery grounds for commercially important fish., lower river levels, and man-made barriers such as weirs and dams are putting freshwater habitats in estuaries at risk, scientists say.
Rising sea levels and lower river levels due to drought – increasing as a result of climate change – are pushing saltwater further up into the “freshwater tidal zones” at the top of estuaries. While the natural response to this would be for those zones to shift further inland, man-made barriers and construction across the top of many estuaries are preventing that happening – leading to the habitats being “squeezed out”.
The researchers from Nottingham Trent University said in some estuaries, these tidal freshwater zones have already been lost, such as in the Tees, Mersey and Tyne, with saltwater intruding up to artificial barriers.
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