Hatchery temperature tracked turtle nest failure; rainfall did not here
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
A 2019–2022 survey of relocated olive ridley hatchery nests found about 85% hatching success overall, except 70% in 2020. In fitted models, sand temperature and nesting season were associated with nest failures, whereas rainfall was not significant. Mean observed sand temperature was 29.63°C.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Protection measures should be tested against measured nest conditions rather than a broad weather proxy. A null rainfall term here limits this model; it does not mean storms are irrelevant elsewhere.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
One managed hatchery with relocated eggs is not an experiment comparing natural and artificial nesting, and hatching rate does not establish recruitment to adulthood.
SOURCE
Conservation Science and Practice — Tovalin et al., 27 October 2026
View original evidence ↗
Four olive ridley nesting seasons reveal a locally actionable thermal signal and a useful null result.
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