Hungry, hungry otters may help marshes with climate change

A new study in the journal Nature shows that strengthening populations of sea otters in a California salt marsh is changing its physical landscape to become more climate-resilient and less affected by soil erosion. And it comes down to something as simple as what they’re eating.

Hungry, hungry otters may help marshes with climate change
A sea otter eats a shellfish while floating in Elkhorn Slough estuary in Monterey Bay, California, USA.

A new study in the journal Nature shows that strengthening populations of sea otters in a California salt marsh is changing its physical landscape to become more climate-resilient and less affected by soil erosion. And it comes down to something as simple as what they’re eating.