Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Weather Patterns Associated With Green Turtle Hypothermic Stunning Events In St. Joseph Bay And Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Kelsey Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

January of 2010 brought record-breaking cold temperatures to Florida. Such freeze events can upset vulnerable populations of marine life and other species that rely on stable water temperatures. Sea turtles are one group of species that are particularly susceptible to abrupt drops in water temperature. When water temperatures drop below 10°C, a mass hypothermic stunning, or cold-stunning, event for sea turtles can be expected, with many debilitated turtles washing onshore with a very limited time window to be rehabilitated (Foley et al. 2007). The species of sea turtle that appears to cold-stun with the most frequency is the green turtle, …