Climate change is causing the “feminisation” of green turtle populations in far north Queensland, but a study shows seawater irrigation could potentially reverse the male drought.
The research, part of the Turtle Cooling Project including The University of Queensland’s Dr David Booth and PhD student Melissa Staines, found that a single application of seawater could theoretically create male hatchlings.
“In 2018, scientists revealed that more than 99 per cent of green turtles being born in the northern Great Barrier Reef are female,” Dr Booth said.
