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NBC News Correspondent Kerry Sanders recently returned from Antarctica, where he chronicled the dramatic changes in the world's last wilderness. Below is his main report; you also can click on the map above for more dispatches from across the breathtaking seventh continent.
By Kerry Sanders, Correspondent, NBC News
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA — There are serious changes taking place here at the bottom of the world.
Increasingly, experts say, the ice is disappearing at a disturbing rate in the Antarctic Peninsula and that in turn impacts the future -- and perhaps the very existence — of at least half of the world’s 18 penguin species, who depend on ice and frigid waters that support krill, the penguin diet mainstay.
"When cheetahs or lions get hunted, or elephants decline, there’s a big uproar. And I think, because you see penguins in large numbers [in some places] people are ignoring the larger rate of their decline," said Oxford University penguinologist Tom Hart. "The general public doesn't realize the penguins are declining so fast."
But it’s not just the penguins we have to worry about, Hart says, it’s the health of the planet itself.
"The last wilderness on Earth is impacted by us now," he said, describing the region’s decline as a "grave indicator" of what’s to come.
Marine biologist Fabrice Genevois speaks with NBC's Kerry Sanders about Gentoo penguins and their extraordinary way of swimming which at times can appear as if they are "flying."
Life’s cycle disrupted for Antarctica’s penguins
It’s the end of the breeding cycle for most penguins here as summer comes to a close. The Gentoos, Adelies and Chinstraps are nudging their newborns from the rocks of Antarctica’s peninsula toward the waters of the Southern Ocean.
Experts say about 50 percent of the eggs will produce a penguin chick that makes it to sea. And about half of those will survive the hungry predators below, as they plunge into the frigid waters for their first swim. Leopard seals are lurking -- and for the newborns, avoiding their mortal enemy is not easy. Many will die. Those that do survive are subject to climate change that is threatening their food supply.
Hart has spent nearly a decade studying the creatures that have captured the world’s imagination for centuries. Each year, for three to four months, he positions himself along the Antarctic coast to observe, measure and chart penguin colonies. Some colonies have been followed since polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men headed here some 100 years ago.
Modern-day expeditions to Antarctica are a more pampered escape than the harrowing ordeals they once were, but a couple men remember the heroes of previous expeditions a little better than most. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.
"When you look at all penguins they are largely in trouble," said Hart. "We're so concerned because we're seeing massive changes to their populations. They’re probably not going to go extinct anytime soon, but the environment is changing very fast.
Chinstraps populations seem to have declined up to 50 percent in the last 30 years," he added.
Hart, like most experts, is cautious to speak in absolutes because the harsh environment here makes it difficult to get a clear picture of what’s happening. Experts use time-lapse cameras and sit at computers, laboriously counting penguins one by one to compare colony sizes from year to year.
To keep track of the penguin population in the extreme conditions of Antarctica, scientists turn to time-lapse photography as an important tool for research. This video shows years of the animals' migration patterns.
Krill decline quickly as sea ice disappears
Ice is the source of all life in Antarctica. It may seem at odds to think that ice gives life, but when you connect the dots, it’s a straight line to a penguin’s belly.
Algae live on top of the ice and underneath it too, providing a grazing ground for the krill that amass beneath -- the way a raccoon chooses to hide in a garbage can.
Krill mostly stay put under the frozen Southern Ocean. But as the ice sheet disappears due to climate change, that habitat shrinks and moves further south.
"The West Antarctic Peninsula has increased three degrees since 1951,” Hart said. "We’ve seen a large reduction in sea ice over the same period."
Although the climate has always undergone oscillations in temperature, Hart says the recent changes are happening much faster than normal.
NBC's Kerry Sanders takes a look at some of the unusual and fascinating wildlife that inhabits Earth's coldest continent.
Logically, less ice has resulted in less krill, say marine biologists. And since krill is the main diet for penguins, seals and whales, less food has in turn meant fewer births. That theory is widely accepted by scientists like French marine biologist Fabrice Genevois.
He says it’s mostly Americans, who have confused politics with science by questioning global climate change.
"We have all the information now, that's clear enough,” said Genevois. "There's no argument any more. You have to be either a liar or be crazy not to understand what we are doing to change the climate. We are responsible, that's for sure."
Add to that equation: Fishing. Less ice has opened areas to more fishing boats that in turn have targeted krill as a profitable catch.
There’s a 620,000 ton catch limit for krill in Antarctica, which is only about 1 percent of the total estimated mass in the region.
NBC's Kerry Sanders pays a visit to Antarctica, one of the world's last wilderness areas, to see the penguins that are being threatened by the increasingly rapid melting of the ice that dominates the landscape.
But it’s the location of the krill fisheries — all aggregated in the Antarctic Peninsula near the South Shetland Islands — that is the main cause of concern.
The boats increasingly drop their nets in the same waters where penguins search for food. The nets are not catching penguins indiscriminately but they are competing for the krill that the wildlife eats to survive.
Where do those captured krill end up? In part, they’re used as fish food at salmon farms, desirable because krill help color salmon “pink” which increases sales at the supermarket.
Click here and here for more on managing the krill catch.
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See photos from NBC's Kerry Sanders' voyage to Antarctica.
Canary in a coal mine
The entire population of Emperor penguins, Chinstraps and Adelies live in Antarctica — if the ice continues to retreat those species are at risk. Meanwhile, the potential for disease outbreaks increases.
"As regions of Antarctica warm it has much more potential as a petri dish," said Hart, citing disease from the north, in particular avian disease, as being a main concern.
The penguins, marine biologists say, are giving us a warning.
"We don't need to necessarily fear change," said marine biologist Maria Clauss, who works with tour company Quark Expeditions. But the penguin’s decline "will change the world as we know it," she said. "And we should not kid ourselves."
Day 1: Greeted by dirt, not ice
Day 2: Climate change decimates food supply for penguins
Day 3: Watching Mother Nature in action
Day 4: How to sleep outdoors in Antarctica
Finale: Trips to the seventh continent are not just for scientists
Leave a Comment:
OK, so fisherman have more open waters to fish in, they are taking more krill from the waters, and My SUV is making penguins hungry? Silly silly people.
Your a prime example of the low I.Q in this world. Nice answer you dummy. All of us are to blame including you genius.
Where do those captured krill end up? In part, they’re used as fish food at salmon farms, desirable because krill help color salmon “pink” which increases sales at the supermarket.
Hey Sam, maybe you don't think this is needless and stupid beyond belief but I do. When does it ever stop? How many selfish greedy ways can people find to assault nature? Just because we "desire" things and can exploit and take what we want doesn't mean we should.
We are all to blame when you think of it. We all to most drive cars, heat our homes, buy consumer products, ext, ext, ext. It all comes from the earth and most to all cause the total inevitable end to this world. Even the computer we are using right now to vent on this subject is part of the problem. Each and every one of us is to blame. We are all caught up in this mess and know we have to pay. Period.
I will die before the bill comnes due so you can pay my share since you whine enough for the both of us.
N.J ski bum? Hunter Mountain?
“We have all the information now, that's clear enough,” said Genevois. “There's no argument any more. You have to be either a liar or be crazy not to understand what we are doing to change the climate. We are responsible, that's for sure.”
This is NOT the statement of a scientist. This is the sentiment of an ideologue. Science is about skepticism and NOTHING is ever settled. We know more about the human body and it's functions than at any time in the history of man. And yet it is likely that we have just scratched the surface in medicine. How could it be that an organism as vast and complex as the earth and it's climate could have provided science "all the information"?
Telling us over and over that man is responsible for climate change doesn't make it so. This is pure rubbish and those who buy into it are weak minded pawns.
lol, another one adamantly and angrily claiming that his opponents are the closed-minded ones.
Can such people as you truly not see how transparent they are?
Dougie,
Ad hominum attacks on those you disagree with, or those who disagree with you doesn't strengthen your case. It weakens it. All I have to say in rebuttle to you is "hockey sticks"!
Richard is right, real science is never settled, and debate is always welcomed as new evidence comes to light. Doug is yet another weak minded pawn who will believe anything anyone tells him...as long as it fits his agenda.
Perhaps you can shed some light on the 'controversy' surrounding Germ Theory, Rex?
The fact of the matter is that a preponderance of data, from multiple lines of research, extending over decades, can, in fact, result in science that is considered to be 'settled fact'.
Those aren't my words - those words come from the American Academy of Sciences.
Yeah the science isn't settled on what species of parasite conservatives have evolved from.
Sea ice is an entirely different thing from pack ice, shelf ice or glacial ice. Respectfully, Mr. Robertson, you don't know what you are talking about.
Global warming is no international political plot. Only ignorant American conservatives are in denial. No wonder you guys are losers: you are out of touch with reality.
Another hoax, if they were at the Bottom of the globe, they all would be upside down! See! they never left the northern hemisphere!!!!
They finally got it right. "Climate Change".
Because of violent earthquakes the earth has tilted on its axis by at least 2 degrees, maybe more. Some people want to attribute global warming to man. Not so. Even volcanic eruptions have an effect on the atmosphere.
No the earth's axis has not changed. Provide us with evidence to support you misinformation.
For volcanic activity to be causing climate change, you have to pre-suppose that there has been more volcanic activity in the last 100 years than in the previous 100,000 years. This simply is not the case.
Sea ice is entirely different from pack ice, self ice, or glacial ice. Respectfully, AC, you don't know what you are talking about.
Global warming is no international conspiracy. Only American conservatives are in denial, which explains why you guys are destined to be losers until you wake up to reality.
I doubt that certain industries WANT to kill off their customers. But that does not change the fact that they are doing it. Ask the tobacco industry.
Evironmental change has always occured. Species evolve and die, as more species are being discovered. Now, Al Gore may miss the dinosaurs, but I for one don't need another animal eyeing me up for lunch. I already have a cat that does that.
Obviously, a slow news day - as none of this is new material. Time to entertain ourselves by drawing political parallels. LOL
OMG!!! I am so afraid!!
Where is ALGore so I can worship at his feet. Save us ALGORE!!! You quack charlatan con man liar!!!
I think all of you henny pennys should all move to the north pole and camp out in your tank tops and socks, then you won't be so hot. until then you are all a bunch of snow blowing dunces. the earth is over 4 billion years old. your marxist utopian freedoms-stealing 'ideas' are NOT WELCOME in this country as they are NOT American values.
Fact- The Earths temperature has not changed for the last 16 years. Unfortunately, the left cannot make money saying that. The ignorance is overwhelming...and dangerous.
Hey Saber, you well read genius, they started keeping temp records back in 1880, well over 16 years ago, and in that time frame the 9 hottest years globally have occurred since 2000. I'm sorry what were you saying again...?
Saber is probably an oil company hack spouting numbers without any basis in fact but since when do people like him rely on facts?
As the climate and the world changes, all species will be affected...that includes the human species, we are the one species that behaves most like a virus, we can only survive as long as we arre destroying something else amd our time will come to an end after we have destroyed the host we feed on and the environment that gives us life itself. Politicians and the greedy can disallow all they want, it will not change the inevitable.
Maybe instead of psycho-analyzing how the friggin penguins feel we can use those federal employees to do the shovel-ready jobs in the american homeland that will get us back to prosperity and togetherness. I hope tat all of the penguins survive this tragedies, but i'm not sure that they want to be remembered as victims but instead of lovable birds that lived life to the fullest and died when they couldn't help it or wahtever. we've got a bunch of them living in the safety of the zoo rigfht here in my home-city but i bet that they aren't nearly as happy as the ones living less-secure lives in the anatartic a. let's do what we need to and save all the people that we can because the damn won't dig themselves and i'll be damned if i let this planet turn into a sissy-world.
The arctic ice melting may have more to do with electrical
resistance than global temperature change. This electrical resistance may be
gravitationally stimulated and not environmentally stimulated as suggested. The
Ice age brought the growth of polar ice to which the extent of its decline was
always uncertain.
All That aside the penguins are catching a bad break and
much of their fate may be out of our hands
The penguins don't have a sense of history johnpc, they can't read or watch documentaries so they don't realize that maybe past penguins had it better so don't act like they're all torn up about this. They're living their lives the only way which they know how and shame on anyone who says that they should be feeling bad for themsleves you're all just jealous that they don';t let trivial things like global warming ruin their days you sensationalist-scraws.
comment removed
Electrical Resistance. Really? Please put your tin foil hat back on. You are getting some crazy signals broadcast into your skull from the UFO aliens and bigfoot.
Hopefully it's a normal weather pattern and the penguins will be enjoying a little warmer weather as they have before. If they die then the warming patern is not usual and maybe we are next.
Bye penguins.
you're the worst environmentalist I've ever seen before, now I know why the EPA doesn't have you doing media-tours and visiting local schools to tell the kids that the polar bears will be okay since you'd probably just tell them "yeah most likely they're f'ed but i'm sure that coke will find a equally cute mascot soon so it's whatever". you have no class, no honor, and follow no ethical code and this is why i hate you so.
LOL LitterHater, you crack me up. Ah ah.
"the worst environmentalist I've ever seen before". Being that I was being sarcastic, I will take that as a compliment. It was my point. I am sorry if I rattled your emotions though, I apologize.
My sarcasm is to underline the "no class, no honor, and follow no ethical code" part of humanity while our natural environment is dying (or melting away).
You have a true heart, I thank Nature for giving us you.
The story has to do with the Antarctic peninsula, not all of Antarctica. Actually the Antarctic sea ice area this year is more extensive than average (Link). This could be the result of more rapid water/ice flow from the continent due to global warming or some other factor. Obviously, more research is needed.
It is really sad that those of you are bound and determined to make everyone else believe that the "global warming" is the fault of Humans........ Check you facts and you will find that it does not matter what was as the human species can or must do. This "global warming" phenomenon will happen no matter if we the human race are on the earth or not. The earth has cycles just like everything else and this is just the "Warming" cycle. So you "global warming" nuts CHILL. We the human race will have to deal with what"Mother earth" deals. We can not change anything. So get it in your brainless minds. WAKE up and smell the roses. Enjoy what we have and stop trying to change the world because you can't. I give you an example. Ethiopia, they were told back before WWI to change their ways. Stop deforesting their land before its too late. Now today look at them. So it doesn't work with JUST US. It has to happen to ALL humanity. So when YOU get of your duffs and get the rest of the WORLD on the band wagon then I will change my attitude, but until then GET OF and you ca............... you fill it in.
Lets talk about facts. Co2 causes global temperatures to rise. We are pumping 80,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every day. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, CO2 levels have dramatically increased more than anytime in the last 100,000 years. I guess when we go extinct, at least we will die happy in our SUVs.
I thought you dodo's believed in survival of the fittest?
Nothing lives for ever on earth.
Save the Penguin's
save the penguins from what exactly? The course of time? Good luck with the rose but in the meantime don't be offended if the rest of us focus on meaningful things like lowering the sugar content of popular snack-foods and fighting the complacency-epidemic thath's plaguing the modern-day healthcare field.
doesn't offend me at all sorry you assume it would offend me
Save me
This global warming garbage is so annoying. Scientific data only been around for what? 25yrs? LOL
The libs and Al Gore are blaming this on Bush.
OMG!!!!!!!!
Apparently, everyone but the media thinks there is actually MORE ice down there.
Antarctic sea ice set another record this past week, with the most amount of ice ever recorded on day 256 of the calendar year (September 12 of this leap year).
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2012/09/19/antarctic-sea-ice-sets-another-record/
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/12/how-climate-change-is-causing-antarctic-sea-ice-to-expand/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/11/poles-scientists-antarctic-sea-ice
Apparently, they have nearly 30 years of data to work with. WOW!!!!! using 30 years of data to extrapolate a climate cycle that is tens of millions of years old, is like basing your life on the quality of the first three seconds of your existence.
Sounds like someone is watching "Happy Feet" on endless loop again ... shouldn't do that before writing articles about REAL life.