I shall continue on my last post.
The four species of penguin that breed on Antarctica, mainly the Adélie, Emperor, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins, are under increasing pressure. Global warming is causing the ground which the penguins raise their young to melt and disappear. Food has also become scarcer because of global warming and the problem of overfishing.
The Antarctic Peninsula is warming five times faster than the average rate of global warming in the rest of the world. The Antarctic Ocean has warmed down to a depth of 3000m. Sea ice that is formed from seawater is significantly lesser off the West Antarctic Peninsula, with 40% less ice than 26 years before. This decrease of ice has led to the decrease in the population of krill, which is the main source of food for the Chinstrap penguins. With the decrease in krill, the Chinstrap penguins have decreased by 30% to 66% in some colonies. The Emperor penguins have halved in size over the last 100 years. Warmer winter temperatures and stronger winds forces the Emperors to raise their chicks on thinner ice, and chicks and eggs sometimes get blown away.
Warmer temperatures mean that the atmosphere can hold more moisture, which brings more snow. The Adélie penguin, which needs land that is free of snow and ice to raise their young, are in jeopardy. The food chain of Antarctica and the survival of many other species all depend on the sea ice.
The four species of penguin that breed on Antarctica, mainly the Adélie, Emperor, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins, are under increasing pressure. Global warming is causing the ground which the penguins raise their young to melt and disappear. Food has also become scarcer because of global warming and the problem of overfishing.
The Antarctic Peninsula is warming five times faster than the average rate of global warming in the rest of the world. The Antarctic Ocean has warmed down to a depth of 3000m. Sea ice that is formed from seawater is significantly lesser off the West Antarctic Peninsula, with 40% less ice than 26 years before. This decrease of ice has led to the decrease in the population of krill, which is the main source of food for the Chinstrap penguins. With the decrease in krill, the Chinstrap penguins have decreased by 30% to 66% in some colonies. The Emperor penguins have halved in size over the last 100 years. Warmer winter temperatures and stronger winds forces the Emperors to raise their chicks on thinner ice, and chicks and eggs sometimes get blown away.
Warmer temperatures mean that the atmosphere can hold more moisture, which brings more snow. The Adélie penguin, which needs land that is free of snow and ice to raise their young, are in jeopardy. The food chain of Antarctica and the survival of many other species all depend on the sea ice.
Credits: WWF(World Wildlife Fund)
Sources:
World Wildlife Fund (2007, December 15). Penguins In Peril As Climate Warms. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 29, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2007/12/071213203604.htm
Glossary:
Peninsula:a large mass of land projecting into a body of water .
Krill: The collection of small marine crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea that are the principal food of baleen whales.
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