Abstract:Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical seas. As a typical long-distant migratory species, they frequently travel between feeding and nesting grounds, and some can travel thousands of kilometers in migrations. The green turtle population has sharply declined globally, chiefly due to overfishing and habitat loss. In addition, global warming can influence the population structure to a female-biased sex ratio. In this study, we designed the species distribution model (SDM) to predict the migration route and the potential distribution range of green turtles. The occurrence of green turtles and environmental variables were used to construct an ensemble SDM. Based on this model, the distribution range and possible migration route of the green turtle were projected under the conditions of future climate change scenarios. It was predicted that offshore distance, depth, and surface temperature will be important factors influencing the migration of green turtles. It was also predicted that the Western Pacific, Northern Indian, and Western Atlantic oceans will be important habitats. Migration corridors are found in Atlantic-Mediterranean and Indian-Pacific groups. In keeping with future climate change, the suitable habitats for green turtles under the low-concentration emission scenario (RCP26) will decrease, and the suitable habitats under the high-concentration emission scenario (RPC85) will increase, irrespective of the scenarios. Additionally, the green turtles showed a tendency to expand toward the polar regions under both two concentration emission scenarios. These results provide scientific methods to use in the protection of green turtles, an important marine species, by exploring possible migration routes and changes in their habitats under future climate change conditions.