Sea level surge floods nesting beaches at peak laying season

July 14, 2026Northwestern Yucatan Plain with Low Tropical Deciduous Forest

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Water levels have run 30 centimeters above predicted tides for the past two weeks along this flat karst coast — a sustained surge that is now pushing well up into the nesting beaches at the height of the breeding season. and both deposit eggs well above the normal wash line — an adaptation to protect clutches from regular tidal cycles. When water levels hold 30 centimeters above predicted heights for weeks at a time, those eggs are flooded, and sustained inundation starves them of the oxygen they need to develop.

This coast lacks a ridge or other topographic buffer to shelter the upper beach. The eggs laid here over recent months are now directly exposed to conditions they evolved to avoid.

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