Climatic crisis threatens emperor penguins of Antarctica

The emperor penguins of Antarctica are set to receive new protections under the Endangered Species Act, or ESA. This is because the climate crisis is a threat to these flightless seabirds. Global warming results in melting of sea ice and the penguins depend on the sea ice for their survival. As a result, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has categorized the species as threatened. The federal agency lists “imperiled species as endangered or threatened regardless of their country of origin.” The latest announcement came more than a year after an initial proposal by the service to protect emperor penguins under the ESA. Emperor penguins depend on sea ice to form their breeding colonies, avoid predators in the ocean and forage for food. However, the temperature of the Earth is rising because of increase in emission of greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide. The sea ice is at risk of disappearing. When this happens, entire penguin colonies can decline or disappear. The presence of emperor penguins is important to maintain the ecological balance because they forage for krill, fish and squid in the sea and serve as prey for leopard seals and killer whales. Antarctica’s emperor penguins at risk of extinction due to the climate crisis. As an expert says - climate change is having a profound impact on species around the world and addressing it is a priority for the (Biden) Administration. The listing of the emperor penguin serves as an alarm bell but also a call to action.

Emperor penguins are the tallest and heaviest of the 18 penguin species. They can weigh up to 40 kilograms and stand 1.1 meters tall. A female emperor lays one egg per breeding season, then passes it over to her male partner to incubate while she forages for food for about a two-month period. Listing the species as threatened now could help save them from becoming endangered or extinct in the future. The polar bear was the first species listed as threatened due to climate change under the Endangered Species Act in 2008. Since then, many of the world’s polar bear populations have stabilized, but they remain vulnerable as the climate crisis continues.

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Greenland is losing ice at a fast rate with global sea level rise

A study in the Nature Climate Change journal reveals widespread loss of ice from Greenland. The extent of loss could result in global sea level rise of nearly a foot. There is no apparent way to prevent this from happening even if the world stopped releasing planet-heating emissions immediately. The overall loss could trigger at least 10 inches of sea level rise, irrespective of the climate warming scenarios. That would be a matter of concern because it would be equal to the total rise over the last century from Greenland, Antarctica and thermal expansion. Researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland made note of changes in ice-sheet volume in and around Greenland. It seems meltwater runoff was the primary driver. Subsequently, relying on "well-established theory," they rang the danger bells. The Greenland ice sheet -- equivalent to 110 trillion tons of ice -- will cease to exist as the ice sheet reacts to the changes that have already occurred. Greenland ice losses set to raise global sea levels by nearly a foot, new research shows. The authors did not specify a timeline but their prediction is that the change in sea levels can occur by the end of the century.

Massive sheets of ice sheets can melt at a fast rate when the air temperature is warm. Moreover, the warmer ocean water also erodes the sheet around the edges. Incidentally, a current report released earlier this year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cautions that coastal regions of the United States could expect 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise in the next three decades. This could mean increase in the frequency of high tide floods and storm surges would spread further inland. In case all the ice melted, it would lift sea levels by roughly 25 feet around the world. This extent of sea level rise could leave some places devastated. The amount of ice that melted in Greenland between July 15 and 17 alone was approximately 6 billion tons of water per day. That is a whole lot of water.

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Massive iceberg is about to break off from Antarctica - sea levels could rise by 10cm

A massive iceberg roughly a quarter of the size of Wales is about to break off from Antarctica and, if it does, sea levels could rise by 10cm. The iceberg is a vast area of Larsen C ice shelf - it is the most northern major shelf in the Antarctic Peninsula and scientists have warned that it is practically "hanging by a thread".
The frozen mass of ice has an area of 5,000 square km (1,930sq miles) and will be 350m thick when it caves.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 6 January 2017.

An expanding rift has increased in size by 18km (11 miles) over the last few weeks which means the piece is now holding on by a strand of just 20km of ice. In the opinion of researchers, shedding of the shelf will lead to global sea levels raising by 10cm and could lead to the wider break-up of Larsen C. The MIDAS Project, based at Swansea University, has been monitoring the rift and has predicted that it will shed over the next few months, depending on weather conditions. Further shedding of ice shelves around the frozen continent due to rising temperatures will give rise to increase of world sea levels.


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World's largest marine reserve to come up in Ross Sea, Antarctica

It has been labeled as a real win for marine conservation. It will be the world's largest marine reserve in Ross Sea, Antarctica and it has finally materialized after years of negotiations. Ross Sea is named after British explorer James Ross and is a deep bay in the Southern Ocean which forms one of the last intact marine ecosystems in the world.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 28 October 2016.

The decision was the outcome of deliberations of nearly 250 oceanic experts from 24 countries and the European Union - they had assembled in Tasmania and struck the historic deal to manage and protect the region's pristine ecosystem and reduce illegal fishing.
The agreement that has been sealed by the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) will result in creating a 1.55 million sq km (600,000 sq miles) reserve in the Ross Sea. The area is roughly six and half times the size of of the UK.
Limited amount of fishing will be allowed mainly for research purposes. This will be throughout the protected zone because several countries fish in the waters surrounding Antarctica for lucrative toothfish, which are sold in North America as Chilean sea bass. Ross Sea is home to penguins, seals, toothfish and crystal krill and the zone is a critical research area for scientists who are trying to understand how marine ecosystems function, and, simultaneously, monitor the impacts of climate change.


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Climate change could rob the Antarctica of half its penguins by 2099

The sudden climate change being witnessed could rob the Antarctica of half its penguins by 2099 - this is the finding of a research carried out by oceanographer Megan Cimino. The study has found that around 60% of the Adelie Penguin habitat in Antarctica could soon disappear in next four decades as the weather will eventually become unfit for their survival.
Needless to say that climate change is wreaking havoc all over the world and Antarctica is no exception.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 30 June 2016.

Adelie Penguin is one of the two natives of Antarctic penguins and the other is the emperor penguin but Adelie penguins inhibit the full extent of the continent. In the opinion of environmentalists, climate change will hamper the two crucial and primary pathways of these penguins namely, the quality and availability of food and nesting habits.
As a result of climate change and global warming, the warm sea temperature will destroy most of the fish populations and krills which is a vital diet of Adelie penguins. The hardest hit colonies may be in the West Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands, which have already witnessed declining penguin populations.


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Melting of Totten Glacier due to global warming could raise sea levels by three meters

Scientists have issued yet another warning about global warming. There is a massive glacier named Totten Glacier and its melting as a result of global warming could send the Antarctica Ocean levels rise by nearly three meters.
A study has predicted that unless action is taken to reduce the current rate of climate change, the Totten Glacier could cross a point of no return within the next century. And - this would be catastrophic. It would lead to it retreating inland by up to 300-Km and, simultaneously, releasing vast amounts of water. Global sea levels could rise by as much as 2.9 metres and the whole process might take several hundred years.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 18 May 2016.

The study states that evidence that is being thrown up paints a bleak picture of the future because East Antarctica appears to be much more vulnerable to a warming environment than presumed. The Totten Glacier is losing ice. This is attributed to warm ocean water and this loss has the potential to also push the glacier back to an unstable place. This glacier is only one outlet for the ice of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, but its impact could be immense.
Incidentally, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest mass of ice on Earth and any small changes could lead to big influence globally. The Antarctic Ice Sheet covers a land area of almost 5.4 million square miles at the South Pole. It contains about 61% of all the fresh water on Earth and is divided into two western and eastern sections by a range of mountains. The Eastern Antarctic Ice Sheet is believed to be relatively stable compared with the much smaller West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
But Totten Glacier is losing substantial amounts of ice and, in case it withdraws another 100-150-Km inland, its front will be sitting on an unstable bed which could trigger a period of rapid retreat.


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Greenhouse gas emissions could see sea levels rise more than 13 meters by 2500

A recent study has warned that, contrary to earlier predictions, sea levels could rise nearly twice as much by the end of this century in case carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated. The net result could be the devastation of coastal communities around the globe and no one would be spared.
These startling findings paint a more grim picture than current consensus predictions because, the suggestion was that the level of seas could rise by just under a meter at most by the year 2100.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 31 March 2016.

The scientists used sophisticated computer models in order to decipher a longstanding riddle about Antarctica namely, how did it surrender so much ice during previous warm periods?
The scientists discovered that similar conditions could, in future, give rise to monumental and irreversible increases in sea levels. With the continuous emission of high levels of greenhouse gas, the oceans could rise by close to two meters in total (more than six feet) by the end of the century.
And, the melting of ice on Antarctica alone could cause seas to rise more than 13 meters (42 feet) by 2500. This grim picture of sea level rise, had relied on a "minimal contribution from Antarctica" - that is the finding of the study carried out by Rob DeConto of University of Massachusetts, Amherst and David Pollard of Penn State University.
As Eric Rignot, an expert on Antarctica's ice sheet and an earth sciences professor at the University of California, Irvine, has said - 'we are not there yet . . . [But] with the current rate of emissions, we are heading that way.' He was not involved in the study.


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Japan kills 333 whales in its latest Antarctic hunt - the figure was 252 whales in 2014

Four of Japan's whaling ships have returned from the Antarctic with a catch of 333 whales - including more than 200 pregnant females - the return was after a four-month long expedition and Japan claims that it is all for 'scientific' purposes. The current haul is a 'significant increase' over their 2014 hunt, because at that time, 252 whales were captured.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 25 March 2016.

Japan has continued to ignore international orders to put a stop to whale hunting and a ruling by the UN's International Court of Justice - in its opinion, the hunt was a commercial venture masquerading as science. Under the International Whaling Commission, to which Japan is a signatory, there has been a ban on hunting whales since 1986. However, Japan continues to go ahead in the practice using a loophole in the ban that allows for lethal research.
The claim of Tokyo is that it is trying to prove that the whale population is large enough to sustain a return to commercial hunting, and that it has to kill the mammals to carry out its research properly. Moreover, this time there had been no incidents with anti-whaling activists - on the previous mission environmentalist group Sea Shepherd had objected to the whaling activities.


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An environmental disaster in the Antarctica - colony of 150,000 Adelie penguins wiped out

#adeliepenguins #antarctica #iceberg #B09B The wiping out of 150,000 Adelie penguins from East Antarctica is an environmental disaster because, an iceberg, the size of Rome, has become became lodged in their bay. As a result, these penguins who used to live near a large body of open water, now face extinction- the arrival of the iceberg coupled with fast expansion of ice have affected the food cycle of the birds. They now have to travel nearly 70 miles to get food.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 14 February 2016.

Already nearly 150,000 penguins of Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay have been killed. The iceberg measures approximately 1,120 square miles (this is larger than Luxemberg) and the penguins are forced to trek 70 miles for food. The colony once had a population of 160,000 and it has shrunk to just 10,000 since 2011. These findings are based on research carried out by the Climate Change Research Center at Australia's University of New South Wales.
Incidentally, there have been penguins at Cape Dension for more than 100 years, but the outlook for the penguins remaining in the area is dire. In the opinion of scientists, the colony will vanish within 20 years unless the sea ice breaks up or the giant iceberg, dubbed B09B, is dislodged.
The iceberg B09B has apparently been floating close to the bay for 20 years before it finally crashed into a glacier and got stuck.


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Antarctic Chieftain fishing boat trapped in the Antarctica with 26 crew members

#toothfish #southernocean #polarstar #antarctica The Antarctic Chieftain fishing boat is trapped in the Antarctica because its propeller is broken. It has 26 crew members on board and all are trapped as reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 13 February 2015.
The 63-metre-long vessel owned by Australian Longline Pty has sought assistance from The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ). Three out of four of its propellers are reportedly damaged by the ice. It has license to fish for toothfish in the Southern Ocean.
The vessel was about1700-Km from McMurdo Sound and US Coastguard icebreaker the Polar Star, was diverted to the site to help in the rescue operation. Talley's fishing vessel, Janas, was also heading to the area.
As per information, the Polar Star was about 630-Km to the west of the Antarctic Chieftain and was likely to reach the area later soon depending on progress and weather conditions.
It has been informed by US Coast Guard Vice Admiral Charles Ray, commander of Pacific Area, that the seas of Antarctica were "treacherous and unforgiving" and to reach the Antarctic Chieftain, the crew of Polar Star would have a tremendous task ahead to break through several miles of thick ice, endure winds and navigate through heavy snowfall.

Research has revealed that carbon released by the Oceans ended the Ice Age

#globalwarming #iceage #plankton #carbondioxide #antarctica A study carried out by the Southampton University has concluded that carbon dioxide released from the depths of the oceans brought to an end the last Ice Age. As per the study reported in bbc.com dated 12 February 2015, such release of carbon dioxide gradually drove the shift towards a warmer period.
The research has been published in the magazine Nature and the conclusions are based on analysis of chemical signals in the shells of ancient plankton. The oceans absorb nearly one third of the atmospheric carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. Therefore, in the opinion of the scientists, as the oceans get warmer, their ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide will be reduced. The result will be faster global warming.
Dr Miguel Martinez-Boti was the co-leader of the study and he has said that the findings indicated that there was a link between very high concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide in parts of the ocean and rises in atmospheric carbon dioxide at the end of the last Ice Age.
The methodology adopted was simple enough – the research is based on analysis of ancient marine organisms that lived on the surface of the oceans thousands of years ago. In this case, the acidity of the seawater they inhabited can be calculated from the chemical signature left in their shells. This allows the amount of carbon dioxide in the water to be calculated.
Incidentally, the waters around Antarctica (or the Southern Ocean) are believed to play a key role in the movement of carbon between the atmosphere, land and sea.