I took the boys to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today. They have a new exhibit downstairs on Climate Change. It’s in the same hall where the river otters used to live, so one of the tanks has that little kid’s hideout next to it; you know, the kind where the kids crawl in get their own mini-view of the specimens while you wait a half hour for the novelty to wear off. I used to use this time to rummage my inbox.
Well, I had my sketchbook with me today. And now, in place of the river otters, Green Sea Turtles are swimming, young ones. The point of the turtle exhibit is to illustrate climate change on their population. I didn’t realize that the sand temperature where their eggs are laid determines the gender balance of the clutch. Sandy beaches are getting warmer, so scientists predict more females will continue to be born than males. I wonder how the girls feel about that..
