The International Fund for Animal Welfare has detailed the many ways that rising ocean temperatures are impacting dolphin populations, some of them less obvious than others.

What's happening?

As the world's temperature rises, the ice caps and glaciers melt. This leads to rising sea levels, which pushes saltwater up into the mouths of rivers and pushes fresh river water out into the ocean. According to IFAW, both of those events upset local water levels, water compositions, and currents, impacting both freshwater and ocean dolphins. 

Meanwhile, increasing temperatures can cause dolphins to overheat. They can't sweat like humans or pant like many other animals, and if they live in shallow water, they can't dive down deep where it's colder. 

The survival rate of some dolphin species has decreased by 12%, IFAW reported, and there are multiple examples of dolphins dying due to drought as their water supply dries up. 

Then there's the oxygen content of the water. Warmer water can't hold as much oxygen. Dolphins don't get their oxygen from the water, but the fish they eat do breathe water, so less dissolved oxygen means fewer fish and more difficult hunting for dolphins.

Warmer water impacts many other conditions in the ocean, such as the spread of disease, the state of the ecosystem, and even the way that sound travels. All of these factors have an effect on dolphins, and they add up to a major problem.

Why is the damage to dolphin populations important?

When it comes to marine animals, few are more beloved than the charming and charismatic dolphin. Unfortunately, they are being hit hard by the world's rising temperature. 

Not only are dolphins one of the most popular species in the ocean, but they're also one of the most important. 

Dolphins are at the top of the food chain, eating a wide variety of smaller marine animals. This means that when their populations are impacted, it destabilizes the entire ecosystem. Other species can balloon in numbers, upsetting the balance of the food chain and causing other marine animals to die off as a result. 

Maintaining a healthy dolphin population is key to maintaining a healthy ocean, and we need a healthy ocean for our economy and food production.

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What's being done to help dolphins?

IFAW noted it has programs to reduce noise pollution and to help the climate in general so that we can bring down Earth's temperature. 

The organization also responds directly to dolphin strandings. In 2024, it responded to 342 live dolphin strandings, and its dolphin rescue center, opened in 2023, helps rehabilitate rescued animals afterwards.

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