Low oxygen levels present the top climate threat to Dungeness crab, research shows

摘要

New research on the Pacific Northwest portion of the Dungeness crab fishery, which spans the West Coast of the United States and Canada, projects how this crustacean will fare under climate change.Results show that by the end of this century, lower-oxygen water will pose the biggest threat. And while these crabs start as tiny, free-floating larvae, it's the sharp-clawed adults that will be most vulnerable, specifically to lower-oxygen coastal waters in summer.The study from researchers at the University of Washington, the University of Connecticut, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be in the December issue of AGU Advances, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.