A horrific skin disease is plaguing dolphins around the world, likely caused or exacerbated by climate change, according to a report by Smithsonian Magazine. Infected dolphins tend to develop ulcers or lesions all over their bodies after storm surges put them in contact with freshwater. Climate change is causing an increase in extreme weather events that can cause this contact.
Scientists first noted this skin disease among dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. They related the infections to a brackish lake where the dolphins were stranded, but laid out new conclusions last month in a study published by Scientific Reports. They explained that large storms always dump freshwater into the ocean, but more frequent storms are impacting the water’s salinity and chemistry, likely causing the lesions. After prolonged exposure, some dolphins reportedly have open wounds on as much as 70 percent of their skin.
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The scientists say that the skin infections allow ions and proteins to ooze out of dolphins’ skin while freshwater rushes in. This leads to disruptions of electrolytes in their bloodstreams, which ultimately lead to organ failure. They can also cause other kinds of infections as bacteria, algae and fungus find their way into the wounds.
“Their skin is just as sensitive as ours, and possibly even more so — it would be incredibly painful,” said the study’s co-author, Nahiid Stephens, in an interview with The Guardian. “We couldn’t believe that such a severe, rapidly developing disease could be anything other than infectious… but ultimately, it is an environmentally caused disease.”
“We can only say there’s a pattern, a trend — but it’s gathering strength,” Stephens said, hinting at the common prediction among scientists that extreme weather will continue to intensify year by year due to unchecked climate change. Pádraig Duignan of the Marine Mammal Center in California further explained in an interview with EcoWatch: “This year was a record hurricane season, and who knows about next year. More Katrinas and more Harveys might be on their way, and each time, this will be happening to the dolphins. I think it will get worse.”
Scientists said that they are “pleased to finally define the problem” that has plagued dolphins for 15 years, even if they are not sure what to do about it yet. While climate change remains a daunting issue, veterinarians and marine biologists are hopeful that this study will help them treat dolphins around the world in the storms to come.
