Climate: Some penguins expanding range as ice melts

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Adélie penguins breed in ice-free areas

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An Adélie penguin on Paulet Island. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — While populations of ice-loving chinstrap and emperor penguins in Antarctica may be squeezed by global warming, Adélie penguins may actually benefit from warmer  temperatures, according to University of Minnesota Polar Geospatial Center researchers.

Scientists from the United States and New Zealand studied a combination of aerial photography beginning in 1958 and modern satellite imagery from the 2000s, finding that the population size of an Adélie penguin colony on Antarctica’s Beaufort Island near the southern Ross Sea increased 84 percent (from 35,000 breeding pairs to 64,000 breeding pairs) as the ice fields retreated between 1958-2010. The biggest changes came in the last three decades, as average summer temperature in that area increased about .5 degrees Celsius.

The study showed that available habitat for Adélie penguins on the main portion of the Beaufort colony, on the south coast, increased 71 percent since 1958, with a 20 percent increase from 1983-2010. The extent of the snow and ice field to the north of the main colony did not change from 1958-1983, but then retreated 543 meters from 1983-2010. (more…)

Filed under: Antarctica, biodiversity, climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Study: Tourism not a factor in Antarctic penguin decline

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Steep drops in chinstrap, Adélie penguin populations linked with global warming, decline of krill

A lone chinstrap penguin on an ice floe near Brown Bluff, Antarctica. Photo by Bob Berwyn.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Chinstrap penguin populations around Antarctica — including a major colony at Baily Head on Deception Island — are dwindling, and some have even blinked out in what scientists are calling colony collapse.

But tourism is not a big factor in the decline, according to researchers who compared penguin population trends at heavily visited sites with other spots that aren’t on the Antarctic tourism circuit.

Adélie penguin populations are also dropping regionally. Both species are offshore foragers, so loss  of sea ice and changes in krill populations — driven by global warming — are suspected be the primary causes. The Antarctic Peninsula, including the South Shetland archipelago, is warming faster than almost any other part of the planet.

It’s also possible that rebounding humpback whale populations, as well as commercial fishing, are affecting krill distribution to some degrees, but researchers haven’t yet been able to pinpoint those impacts accurately. (more…)

Filed under: Antarctica, biodiversity, climate and weather, endangered species, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Penguin portraits

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Some of our favorite feathered friends …

Bathing beauties. Gentoo penguins on Deception Island.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Some might call it a shameless quest for page views but I’m going to call it fine art photography, even though there’s no doubt that penguin pictures to help drive web traffic. There’s no denying — they are cute little critters, and despite being so cuddly and loveable, they manage to survive and even thrive in an incredibly harsh environment. Their environment is, of course, one of the most threatened by climate change, as temperatures across parts of Antarctica are warming at double the rate of the global average. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, Morning photo, photography, Summit County news, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Environment: Penguins in peril

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Ice-loving Adelie penguins are moving farther south in search of abundant food, as krill and phytoplankton decline around the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

Huge changes in Antarctic ecosystems becoming evident

By Bob Berwyn

The simple and prolific food chain in the 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.

(more…)

Filed under: Environment, global warming, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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