Summit County Citizens Voice

The ice birds of Antarctica

A chinstrap penguin surveys its ice flow in the Weddell Sea.

SUMMIT COUNTY — You had to know it was coming sometime. I’m actually surprised I was able to resist posting a penguin photoblog for as long as I have. They’re so cute and photogenic, as well as incredibly tame, so you don’t even have to have any special wildlife photography skills to photograph them. But I have an ulterior motive, or two of them, actually. I’m hoping these birds are cute enough to drive a record number of page views to a single post — call it a social media experiment.

Gentoo penguins enjoy a sunny day at Brown Bluff on the Antarctic mainland.

And, I’m concerned about penguins. They are one of the species that just don’t really have anywhere to go as the Earth heats up. Some other species of plants and animals may be able to adapt, or find new niches with suitable habitat, but some ice-dependent species may be doomed.

The squatty birds are surprisingly agile on the ground, easily clambering great distances across boulders and rugged ground to reach favored breeding and feeding grounds.

In fact, the simple and prolific food chain in the entire Antarctic region is under the global warming gun. In the last half century, winter temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula — the skinny spit of land sticking up toward South America — have climbed five times faster than the global average. Subarctic conditions around the peninsula have given way to a moist maritime climate, with impacts to Antarctic birds and mammals, who all depend on krill for sustenance.

Krill are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans found in great abundance in Antarctic waters. The krill feeds on tiny free-floating plants called phytoplankton. In turn, the krill is eaten in mass quantities by whales, sea birds, seals and penguins. But changing weather  patterns linked to global warming are altering the system.

Travelers to Antarctica can witness the changes first-hand, since many of the tourist voyages to the region explore the Peninsula and nearby islands. Some recent studies have shown that more cloudiness and less sea ice near the northern end of the peninsula combined to slow plankton growth. Farther south, sunnier skies and more sea ice spurred greater plankton growth.

Ice-loving Adelie penguins are following the phytoplankton, and the krill who feed on them. In the process, sub-Antarctic species — including Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins–are replacing the Adélies in their former range. Though the Chinstraps and Gentoos are faring better than the Adélies, they, too, are pushing south in pursuit of food.

Gentoos.

Satellite imagery helps reveal changes in ocean color, temperature, sea ice distribution and wind. Many researchers, including a team from the University of Hawaii, are collecting data from the sea to help pinpoint the changes.

The University of Hawaii scientists maintained an excellent blog of last summer’s research here.

The New Yorker recently featured a story about climate change impacts to Adelie penguins in Antarctica.

Studying the wall ... looking like he's about to decipher some ancient hieroglyphs. PHOTO BY LEIGH WADDEN.

Two chinstrap penguins at the Bailey Head rookery on Deception Island.

Molting chinstrap penguins on Deception Island.

Gentoo penguins and the S/V Professor Molchanov at sea.

Filed under: climate and weather, global warming, Summit County news Tagged: | Antarctica, chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins, global warming, penguins, photography, Summit County Colorado