Fish Won’t Be Able to Smell Soon

The senses in human beings allow us to explore our world, and also keep us safe. Fish are quite similar in that they have the ability to smell and detect suitable food and habitats. Their nostrils use the chemicals floating through the water to make sense of what could be a potentially harmful situation.

Unfortunately as with other species facing challenges due to rising levels of carbon dioxide, the fish are also likely to begin losing their ability to detect different smells as soon as the end of this century. The rapidly rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have already been seen to affect the olafactory sensitivity of a number of species.

Researcher Cosima Porteus from the University of Exeter is the lead author of the study called Nature Climate Change. Her study was based on exposing juvenile sea bass to higher levels of carbon dioxide, in accordance with the predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change by the year 2100.

The amount is nearly double of what is currently today’s valuation. When exposed to such highly elevated levels of carbon dioxide the sea bass in the science experiment could not find food easily. They were also unable to check for and avoid predators. They also seemed to have difficulty swimming.