11 Dec 2007 - Bali, Indonesia
The penguin population of Antarctica is
under pressure from global warming, according
to a WWF report.
The report, Antarctic Penguins and Climate
Change, shows that the four populations of
penguins that breed on the Antarctic continent
Adélie, Emperor, Chinstrap and Gentoo
are under escalating pressure. For some,
global warming is taking away precious ground
on which penguins raise their young. For others,
food has become increasingly scarce because
of warming in conjunction with overfishing.
"The Antarctic penguins already have
a long march behind them," says Anna
Reynolds, Deputy Director of WWFs Global
Climate Change Programme.
"Now it seems these icons of the Antarctic
will have to face an extremely tough battle
to adapt to the unprecedented rate of climate
change."
The Antarctic Peninsula is warming five times
faster than the average rate of global warming.
The vast Southern Ocean has warmed all the
way down to a depth of 3000m.
Sea ice ice that forms from sea water
covers 40% less area than it did 26 years
ago off the West Antarctic Peninsula. This
decrease has led to reduced numbers of krill,
the main source of food for chinstrap penguins.
The number of Chinstraps decreased by as much
as 30% to 66% in some colonies, as less food
has made it more difficult for the young to
survive. It's the same story for Gentoo penguins,
who are increasingly dependent on the declining
krill stocks as overfishing kills off their
usual food sources.
The Emperor penguin, the largest and most
majestic penguin in the world, has seen some
of its colonies halved in size over the past
half century. Warmer winter temperatures and
stronger winds mean that the penguins have
to raise their chicks on increasingly thinner
sea ice. For many years, sea ice has broken
off early and many eggs and chicks have been
blown away before they were ready to survive
on their own.
In the northwestern coast of the Antarctic
Peninsula, where warming has been the most
dramatic, populations of Adélie penguins
have dropped by 65% over the past 25 years.
Not only has food become scarcer with the
disappearance of sea ice, but the Adélies
warm-loving cousins, the Gentoos and Chinstraps,
have also "invaded" the region.
Warmer temperatures mean that the atmosphere
can hold more moisture, which in turn brings
more snow. Scientists are worried for the
Adélie penguin, which needs land that
is free of snow and ice to raise their young,
and is likely to lose out to its warm-loving
cousins.
"The food web of Antarctica, and thus
the survival of penguins and many other species,
is bound up in the future of the sea ice,"
says Jame Leape, Director-General of WWF International.
"After such a long march to Bali, ministers
must now commit to sharp reductions in carbon
emissions for industrialized countries, to
protect Antarctica and safeguard the health
of the planet."
Martin Hiller, Communications Manager
WWF Global Climate Change Programme
END NOTES:
The report, Antarctic Penguins and Climate
Change, was produced in partnership with Dr
David Ainley, expert scientist on Adélie
penguins and climate change. More information
on penguin research can be found on: www.penguinscience.com
