In hot water? Study says warming may reduce sea life by 17%

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new study says the world’s oceans will likely lose about one-sixth of its fish and other marine life by the end of the century if climate change continues on its current path.

A comprehensive computer-based study by an international team of marine biologists found that for every degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) that the world’s oceans warm, the total mass of sea animals is projected to drop by 5%.

If the world doesn’t reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, the study says that’s a 17% loss of marine life by the year 2100.

Study co-author William Cheung of the University of British Columbia said that’s a huge drop and some changes in sea life have already been seen.

The study is in Tuesday’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.