Much current marine life will be unable to tolerate ocean temperatures that are projected to increase by 2.8 degrees Celsius on average, according to the study. “With warming of this magnitude, we expect to lose many, if not most, animal species from marine protected areas by the turn of the century,” said the study's lead author, John Bruno, a biologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Marine protected areas, established as sanctuaries for polar bears, coral reefs and other wildlife threatened by human activities such as fishing and oil extraction, have failed to protect species from the impacts of global warming, the scientists said.