Antarctica Peninsula Warming Effects on Adelie Penguins - Research Paper Example

Antarctica Peninsula Warming Effects on Adelie Penguins Abstract The global warming effect on Antarctica Peninsula region has had some serious consequences. One of the big global warming effect is the melting of ice and snow on the Antarctica Peninsula region, because scientists have proved that the Antarctic Peninsula is facing the rapid rise in the temperature of its environment. The ice shelves in this region are breaking up and melting with the greatest change occurring in the northern tip of the peninsula. Subsequently, this leads to reduce the sea ice and increase the sea levels, which serious effect on animal on this region, which are Adelie penguins. It has been suffering a steady decline in the Antarctic Peninsula region for the last 20 years. It is reducing in number and abandoning certain nest. Introduction The effects of the Antarctica Peninsula Warming on the Adelie penguins are so drastic devastating and overwhelming that they are fairly ample enough to annihilate the Penguin inhabitants of this area in the near future. Over the last 25 years or so, the rise in the Global temperature has dramatically expunged the Adelie population in the region of the Antarctic Peninsula. The number of these solitary inhabitants along the northwestern coast of the region has drastically decreased in the face of increasing global warming. The rise in the temperature of the world environment appears to be the encroaching enemy of the Adelie Population because of its overwhelming influence on the ecological balance of this region that is fairly suitable for the life cycle of these penguins and is able to support them with all the necessary conditions of livings. Studies show that the temperature of the environment of this region is gradually increasing at the rate of 2°C per year and the rise in the temperature continues, the existing colonies of the Adelie Penguins will either stop their biological reproduction or simply disappear from the area. As the report “2° is Too Much” says, Antarctic penguins are in jeopardy. The research shows that 50% of the colonies of the iconic Emperor penguin and 75% Adelie penguin colonies face marked decline or disappearance if global temperature is allowed to rise 2°C above pre-industrial levels. (ACCFP, n.d., p. 2) Effects of Global Warming on the Antarctica Peninsula Whereas Antarctica is the coldest, highest, driest, and iciest-place on Earth, the effects of Global Warming directly go against the sole nature of this region. Both of the Geography and topography of the Antarctic region are of paramount importance to the longevity of the Antarctic ice sheets. Indeed these geography are patterned throughout years in favour of the survival of life in the inimical cold whether. Though the Antarctica Peninsula is one of the major part of the whole Antarctica, the effects of the Global warming on the existing life forms are somewhat different from the effects on other parts of this region. These differences of effects are primarily engendered by the geographical position in the Antarctica. The Antarctica Peninsula is endowed with some vital geographical gifts of nature because of its position between the East Antarctica and the West Antarctica. The Antarctica Peninsula is long and dissected plateau, because of highly mountainous. It altitude from 900m at its northern end 63.5ºS rise to 1750m at 64ºS (Elliot, 1997), its highest peaks rising to approximately 2,800m. Antarctica Peninsula that is dissected by steep-sided fjords and glacial valleys appears to be the perfect abode of the Adelie penguins. One of the life supporting features of the Antarctica Peninsula that is grossly being disturbed by the rise in the world temperature is that this area provides all of the ice-free places for nesting of the Adelie, access to the nearest sea ice and the fresh water for foraging. However, “Warmer temperatures are, however, also likely to lead to more ice shelves collapsing exposing new coastline and more coastal areas with less sea ice. Adélie penguins are likely to,” as it is said in a brochure of ‘WWF Antarctic Climate Change Focal Project’, In the southern Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas, where they are able to find ice-free land for nesting and access to sea ice and open water for foraging. The fact how far south they can expand and indeed, the survival of the species may be limited by the amount of light and sea ice available during winter. (ACCFP, n.d., p. 2) At present, in the context of the warming temperature of the world environment, the Adelie species of the Penguins are forced to live in the sea ice areas where the sunlight last only for few hours during the day during the winter in August. It is a necessary precondition for the survival of the Adelie in the Antarctic region that the dwelling place must provide them with enough light for hunting, because the Adelie penguins are not habituated to hunt in the scanty of life. Scientists predict that Antarctica Peninsula warming will shorten the sea ice season and will push them toward the dark south. Such changes in the environment will have two negative consequences on the life-style of the Adelie: the wintering scope of this specie will be threatened and food supply will decrease because hunting difficulty in scant light will grow in the Southern edge of the region, as it is said in “2° is Too Much”, With less light, they are not able to hunt effectively. If the sea ice season shortens, and there is no longer any sea ice north of the Antarctic Circle (66.5° S) during the winter, then the wintering of the Adélie penguin could be called into question. (ACCFP, n.d., p. 2) Nature of the Change of Climate in Antarctica Peninsula Studies on the climatic change have shown that the environment of the Antarctic Peninsula has undergone dramatic environmental changes for several times over past 50 years. Though there are differences in the reports of the scientists, the mean temperature rise per years was around 3°C on the Antarctic Peninsula and the rate of temperature rise in this region is winter temperatures in the Antarctic Peninsula is five times faster than the average global temperature rise. Consequently, the duration of sea-ice coverage that is one of the necessary and vital preconditions of many lives in this inimical cold weather, has decreased. After all, the warming in the Antarctica Peninsula has serious and negative consequences on the Antarctica Peninsula environment and its ecological balance. This disturbed ecological balance also has negative impacts on the lives existing in this region. The species that depend on the sea ice has become endangered. For example, Adelie penguins, Antarctic fish, and krill that depend on the sea ice for their livings have started to decrease, as it is stated in a press release of National Science Foundation (NSF) of the USA, “The prevalence of species that depend on sea ice….has decreased…and new species that typically avoid ice, such as Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins, and lantern-fish are moving into the habitat” (NSF, March 16, 2009). It is difficult to assess the global consequence of warming in the Antarctic Peninsula but the scientists are predominantly occupied with the concern for the reduction of Adelie penguins’ population in this area. As David G. Vaughan says, “The existence of a melt-season in the Antarctic Peninsula…has substantially increased the ecological and cryophilic impacts, and, makes the vulnerability of these systems to future warming high” (Vaughan, 2006). Currently the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the those parts of the world that is undergoing severe consequences of the drastic global warming. The picture of the changes engendered by the Global (space science) Warming is alarming in its true sense. Due to the temperature rise in the last five decades, the Antarctic Peninsula has lost its ice mass at a rate of average 60 billion tones per year. The main ice loss occurred along the northern tip of peninsula. In the last two decades, the region lost seven ice shelves along with the age-old glaciers. But in a study by the British Antarctic Survey, another alarming change is discussed that as the glaciers started to lose weight on the top of them due to the loss of ice mass, they increased buoyancy and became greatly instable. Professor David Vaughan has “described the disintegration of the Wilkins Ice Shelf as the latest evidence of rapid warming in the area” (Vaughan, 2007). In this regard, Dr Hamish Pritchard comments, The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced some of the fastest warming on Earth, nearly 3°C over the last half-century. Eighty-seven percent of its glaciers have been retreating during this period and now we see these glaciers are also speeding up. (Press Release, 2007) Attribution to Human-induced Change Human beings can be held responsible for the drastic climatic changes in the Peninsula region of the Antarctica. Human related factors play a crucial role in these changes. Primarily most of the factors that are responsible for the rise of temperature in the world environment are human induced. Some scientists argue that the changes in the environment are the cyclical repetition of the natural changes, but studies show that these changes are largely contributed to by human beings. The climatic changes that took places during the last fifty years or so are mainly contributed by human induced factors that have played a significant role after enormous industrialization around the mid nineteenth century. This view is also supported by Domack et al (2005). According to Domack et al (2005), Pusdey et al (2006) the glaciers in the Antarctica Peninsula did not undergo within the next 10000 years. Vaughan comments in this regard, “Recent warming is unique within the context of the past 10,000 years, raising the possibility that the Antarctic Peninsula warming is a regional manifestation of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect” (Vaughan, 2007). Antarctica Peninsula warming effect on Adelie penguins The Antarctica Peninsula Warming has multifaceted effects on the life supporting ecological balance. In the first place, the effect on the environment that is contributing adversely to the decrease of the population of Adelie Penguins is the change in the geographical pattern of their habitats. Though the effects of warming on the ecology of the area are interlinked with each other in a convoluted way, the entire ecological balance is grossly hampered and disturbed by the changes in the geographical pattern due the melting of the sea ice. This is because the life cycle of an Adelie penguin is directly related to the geography of this cold and ice-covered region that, to a great extent, determines and at the same time, ensures a certain and balanced eco-system that maintains both the food chain and the habitat conditions, congenial to the survival of the Adelie Penguins. If the effects of the climatic changes due to warming in the Antarctica Peninsula continue to exist, it may lead the Adelie species toward two ends: first, to the elimination of the entire colony from the region, second, responding positively to the changes in order to cope with the changes. According to Penguin-Science, Adélie Penguins are responding to current physical changes in their environment brought on by global climate change, the Earth warmed since the last Ice Age. That information helps us to predict how these creatures will respond to future climate change. (n.d.) Impacts on Adelie Penguin’s Habitat and Population Warming has radical impacts on the habitat of the Adelie penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Scientists (n.d.) say, “more than 95% of the Antarctic Peninsula became sheer cliffs of ice and rock meeting sea ice at their bases. Adélie Penguins need ice-free land with a supply of small rocks with which to build nests” (Penguin-Science, n.d.). During the recent years, as warming has shortened the duration of the sea ice, the Adelies are facing much nesting problems. ACCFP (n.d.) report says, “2°C global warming could be a reality in less than 40 years; reduced sea ice coverage and thickness would make it increasingly difficult for some penguins to hunt and to breed” (ACCFP, n.d., p. 3). The Adelies build their nest in line with stones so that the snowmelt can be drained away in order to keep their eggs dry. At present, about seventy-five percent of Adelie penguin colonies and about seventy percent of the total world population of Adélie penguins live around the north of 70° S. In his study, Vaughan reports that the shortened duration of winter, lessening of sea ice, melting of the ice shelves and glacier may have the negative impact on these Adelie colonies by 2025-2070. Another study reports, “50% of the colonies of the iconic Emperor penguin and 75% Adelie penguin colonies face marked decline or disappearance if global temperature is allowed to rise 2°C above pre-industrial levels” (ACCFP, n.d., p. 2). Effects on Food chain and Food-web of Adelie Warming in the Antarctica Peninsula has negative consequences on the feeding chain of the Adelie Penguins. The Adelie penguins live on fish and krill. The feeding places are often located near their breeding colonies. This specie hunts fish day and night. But they are more capable of hunting at daytime. Within the food chain of the Adelie Penguins, there are fish, krill, small shoaling animals, and some other Antarctic animals. However, it is remarkable that all the members of this food chains depend on the sea ice. As rise in the global temperature has caused the huge loss of ice mass in the Antarctic Peninsula region, Adelie’s food chain has been seriously disturbed. It is because “Krill are the major food source for whales, penguins, and seals. They are mainly herbivorous, feeding mostly on the microscopic suspended plants of the Southern Ocean and to a lesser extent, planktonic animals” (Nicol, 2007). The biological production of krill is directly related to the duration of the sea ice. Melting of sea ice, directly and at the same time negatively, may affect the production of krill that may lead to the shortage of Adelie’s food. For the last 25 years, krill are recklessly being fished by some coastal countries like Ukraine, Poland, and Japan in order to use them as human food. But during the recent years the commercial fishing of krill are receiving the growing concern as fishing of krill has great possibility to affect the wild life in the Antarctic region. As it is said, International concerns about how the potential overfishing of krill might affect other Antarctic wildlife have led to the signing of an innovative treaty, CCAMLR...in 1982. The Convention takes an ecosystem approach to fisheries management and recognizes the place of krill at the centre of the Antarctic food web. (Rockliffe & Nicol, n.d.) Conclusion If Global warming continues, eventually ice-covered Antarctica and its sea ice will melt down. The duration and longevity of sea ice is one of the vital preconditions that determine these species’ existence in this cold area. Adélie penguins will exist if sea ice exists. Even they will colonize in new suitable places in the Antarctic Peninsula, if their present abode is endangered by the warming of the environment. If the sea ice disappears due to the global warming, the Adelie will gradually disappear in the south. Even the Adelies may simply extinct from the Earth. Reference ACCFP, (n.d.), 2° is Too Much, retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.wwf.org.uk/article_search_results.cfm?uNewsID=2234 - 13k – British Antarctic Survey (2007, June 6). Hundreds Of Antarctic Peninsula Glaciers Accelerating As Climate Warms. ScienceDaily. Domack, E., et al. (2005), Stability of the Larsen B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene epoch, Nature, 436, 681-685. European Space Agency (2008, June 14). Even The Antarctic Winter Cannot Protect Wilkins Ice Shelf. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2009. Elliot, D.H., 1997. The planar crest of Graham Land, northern Antarctic Peninsula: possible origins and timing of uplift. In Barker, P.F., and Cooper, A.K. (Eds.), Geology and Seismic Stratigraphy of the Antarctic Margin (Pt 2). Am. Geophys. Union, Antarct. Res. Ser., 71:51-73. National Science Foundation, (2009, March 16), Climate-related Changes on the Antarctic Peninsula Being Driven from the Top and the Bottom of the Ecosystem, retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=114377 Nicol, S., (2007), Time to Krill?, Australian Natural History, retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.eco-action.org/dt/timeto.html Penguin Science, Antarctic Penguins: Bellwethers of Environmental Change, http://www.penguinscience.com/clim_change.php Press Release-Hundreds of Antarctic Peninsula glaciers accelerating as climate warms, http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/press/press_releases. Issue date: 05 Jun 2007. Pudsey, C. J., et al. (1994), Ice sheet retreat from the Antarctic Peninsula Shelf, Contin.Shelf.Res. Pudsey, C. J., et al. (2006), Ice shelf history from petrographic and foraminiferal evidence, northeast Antarctic Peninsula, Quat. Sci. Rev., 25, 2357-2379. Rockliffe, W. & Nicol, S., (n.d.), Krill: magicians of the Southern Ocean, Australian Antarctic Division, retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=3523 Vaughan, G. D., (2006), Antarctic Peninsula: rapid warming, British Antarctic Survey, retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/bas_research/our_research/topics/climate_change/our_world/antarctic_peninsula.php Read More