Penguins from all over are being affected by a variable that they can’t control: the climate change. These cute animals that every little kid adores are now dropping in numbers. 11 out of 18 penguin species are declining and only 2 species are considered stable. These birds are used to adapting to extreme climates, but global warming is too much for them. In the last 30 years the Antarctic Peninsula has had a 4.5 degree rise in its annual temperature. The Earth’s annual temperature has risen 1.4 degrees in the last century.
Antarctica is a gigantic ice sheet that could cause changes on the other side of the world if it melts. If these ice sheets do melt global temperatures could increase up to 8-10 degrees Celsius which is a dangerous increase. This much ice melt could cause tons of amounts of water to be released into the ocean which can affect the flow of chilled currents that help the world’s weather. With the ice melt the Adelie penguins are at risk because they rely on the ice to reach their winter feeding grounds. As the ice continues to melt this species might go extinct; though it might take hundreds of years. Adelie penguins spend not even 3 months on land and the rest traveling the ice floes. The Adelies find it hard to find nesting grounds with no snow.
Adelie penguins are not the only ones at risk. Emperor penguins are also at risk. This species raises their chicks on the sea ice. If the ice breaks before the chicks are fully matured they can be swept away in the ocean and could die. It also affects the adults because it leads to lower food availability. Since 1960 a colony of Emperor penguins on the Antarctica Peninsula has declined from 250 pairs to 10 pairs due to the sea ice loss.
In Antarctica not only are the penguins affected by the climate change, the krill, fish, seals and everything else are at risk too. Since the 1970s krill in Antarctica has declined as much as 80%. To prevent further climate change from occurring we can reduce our amount of industrial fishing. Large-scale fishing industries cause the penguins’ food source to deplete. Penguins can also get tangled in the equipment and drown. The U.S. Endangered Species Act is an important act that currently provides important regulations for the penguins.
In conclusion, the penguin population is at a great risk for extinction if the climate change increases. Climate change is not the only factor affecting the population, but is a big factor. Along with the Emperor and Adelie penguins the krill, seals, and fish are also at risk to having great reductions in their population numbers. All in all, we can do a few things to prevent the animals from being in peril and we should take into consideration these options and do something about it.
- How is losing animals in Antarctica affecting us?
- What are some things we could do to decrease the rate of the climate change?
- What adaptations have the penguins made to accommodate for these changes?
Climate change has a huge impact with penguins. It affects Antarctic penguins, sub-Antarctic penguins, and temperate penguins. I found a site that says how it affects each type and ways we can help the penguins. Some threats are oil spills, habitat destruction, and marine pollution. The U.S. Endangered Species Act also plays a huge roll in helping to protect the penguins globally.
http://www.actionbioscience.org/environment/wolf.html
I agree that climate change is one of the reasons that Antarctic species are dying, but there is also many other reasons as well. Like you mentioned in your blog the penguin’s main source of food is dwindling because the species is dying out , and research this and found that it was true. According to biologicaldiversity.org the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide and industrial krill fisheries further threaten the penguins’ food supply.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2014/emperor-penguins-01-21-2014.html