Argentina creates new marine reserves in Patagonia

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Parts of Patagonia‘s spectacular coastline will have more protection following the designation of two new marine preserves.

Isla Pingüino and Makenke Coastal Marine Park provide habitat for seabirds and marine mammals

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Dolphins, penguins, seabirds and sea lions along the coast of Patagonia will get more protection in a pair of new marine protected areas designated by Argentina this week.

Both areas were identified as priority conservation sites under the collaborative Patagonia Coastal Zone Management Plan project, covering an area where Charles Darwin traveled, and where Ferdinand Magellan executed and marooned a group of mutineers intent on aborting what would become the world’s first circumnavigation of the globe.

Darwin first described the wildlife of Isla Pingüino in 1833, during his seminal voyage aboard the HMS Beagle — now, the  Isla Pingüino Coastal Marine Park will protect about 720 square miles, including habitat for large populations of South American sea lions, red-legged cormorants, and one of the largest colonies of imperial cormorants found anywhere (with more than 8,000 breeding pairs). Isla Pingüino also boasts one of the only colonies of rockhopper penguins on the coast of Patagonia. (more…)

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Morning photo: Far-flung

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Travel dreams …

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The Burren, an extensive karst formation in northwest Ireland.

FRISCO — A quick spin to some far-flung corners of the globe for some armchair travel in today’s photo essay … from Europe to the Caribbean, back to the Balkans and finally Patagonia, which really is as close to the ends of the Earth that you can get. Hey, a vicarious trip is better than no trip at all, right? Check our online gallery at FineArt America for more landscape images. (more…)

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Morning photo: Peaks

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Reaching for the sky …

A classic Patagonia skyline features some of the craggiest peaks in the world.

FRISCO — I missed my favorite Twitter chat last week, but got all giddy when I saw this week’s #FriFotos theme — peaks. I live amidst the splendor of the Rocky Mountains, and at least a third of the pictures in my ever-growing photo archives features peaks in all shapes and sizes. I’m looking forward to seeing great images of mountains from around the world. It’s easy to join the fun. Just upload your own favorite peak pictures, tag then with #FriFotos and post them to Twitter, share and comment.

The M/V Professor Molchanov at anchor near a remote peak in Antarctica.

(more…)

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Global warming: Glacier melt speeding up in Patagonia

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Patagonian ice fields and glaciers are melting quickly and contributing to sea level rise.

Southernmost ice fields thinning by about six feet per year

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The largest ice fields in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica are melting faster than ever — at a rate that has increased by 50 percent in the past dozen years compared to the 30 years before 2ooo. On average, the southern Patagonia ice fields are thinning by about six feet per year.

Scientists have been monitoring cycles in southern glaciers of the Andes for at least four decades, and have detected an overall loss of ice as the climate warms. Now the region is becoming a poster child for climate change, said Michael Willis, lead author of the study and a research associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

“We are characterizing a region that is supplying water to sea level at a big rate, compared to its size,” said Willis.

The Southern Patagonian Icefield together with its smaller northern neighbor, the Northern Patagonian Icefield, are the largest icefields in the southern hemisphere — excluding Antarctica. The new study shows that the icefields are losing ice faster since the turn of the century and contributing more to sea level rise than ever before. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Amazing journey: Elephant seal treks 18,000 miles

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Wildlife group tracks pinniped as part of Patagonia study

A NOAA photo of northern elephant seals on the coast of California.

By Summit County

SUMMIT COUNTY — A southern elephant seal nick-named Jackson astonished researchers when it swam more than 18,000 miles during the past year, about equal to a round trip from New York to Sydney and back again.

The Wildlife Conservation Society tracked the giant pinniped through the rugged fjords of Patagonia as a part of a research project for a new model of private-public, terrestrial-marine conservation of the Admiralty Sound, Karukinka Natural Park (a WCS private protected area), and Alberto de Agostini National Park. It will help build a broader vision for bolstering conservation efforts across the Patagonian Sea and coast.

“Jackson’s travels provide a roadmap of how elephant seals use the Patagonian Coast and its associated seas,” said Caleb McClennen, Wildlife Conservation Society director for global marine programs. “This information is vital to improving ocean management in the region, helping establish protected areas in the right places, and ensuring fisheries are managed sustainably without harming vulnerable marine species like the southern elephant seal.” (more…)

Filed under: Environment, Marine biology, national parks, Summit County news, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

CU team tracks Patagonian droughts and wildfires

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Patagonian beech forests may become more fire-prone as ozone-depleting chemicals and greenhouse gases reinforce a cyclical climate pattern that leads to drought in the region.

Tree-ring study suggests the region could remain fire-prone for a century or more

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A new study by CU Boulder researchers suggests that forests in Patagonia may become more fire-prone in the next 100 years, as a major climate oscillation in the southern hemisphere is reinforced and made more persistent by ozone-depleting chemicals and greenhouse gases.

The researchers used tree ring records dating back to 1506 to link past wildfire activity in the forests of Patagonia with the Southern Annular Mode, a climate cycle that creates low atmospheric pressure in the Antarctic that is tied to warmer and drier conditions in southern South America.

The tree rings showed that, when SAM was in its positive phase, there were widespread fires in both dry woodlands and rainforests in Patagonia, a region that straddles Argentina and Chile, said CU-Boulder Research Associate Andres Holz, lead study author. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, forest fires, Forest health, forests, global warming, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Tierra del Fuego

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

The southernmost national park in the world

Lago Roca in Tierra del Fuego National Park Argentina.

SUMMIT COUNTY — I’ve taken many more snow photos in the past few days, as Old Man Winter rolls on in Summit County, but I thought I’d give it a break, so I’m featuring Tierra del Fuego National Park, the southernmost park in the world. Leigh and I visited here after a 10-day sea voyage around Antarctica, and the verdant scene was a welcome change from all the ice and snow — sort of like when spring finally arrives here in the high country.

On the shores of Lago Roca, with heavy rainshowers moving in.

(more…)

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