Climate change may produce new Pacific salmon habitat in the western U.S. That’s the finding of a study led by Simon Fraser University involving University of Montana researchers published in Nature Communications.
The study projects that the melting glaciers could produce over 3500 miles of pacific salmon habitat throughout the Pacific Mountain ranges of western North America by the year 2100.
Researchers say climate change is still a threat to the species and if it continues the new habitat will be temporary.
According to the study, climate change has had a negative impact on Pacific salmon populations for decades, but their findings can “inform proactive management and conservation of Pacific salmon in this era of rapid climate change."
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