The animals that depend on the polar sea ice are threatened by global warming. This is one of the more immediate adverse impacts of climate change. This is also one of the more important points of reference contained in the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Like many other polar species, the emperor penguin thrives in sea ice for breeding and food. The anticipated overall increase in temperatures predictably reduces the extent of sea ice.
Emperor penguins breed during the Antarctic winter. Sea ice serves to form colonies over great distances from the open sea. This makes forays into the water in search of food more challenging as they require extensive travel. When the ice is too much, these trips become even longer. This translates to less supply of food for the offspring. However, the species feeds on fish that, in turn, eat krill or tiny crustaceans that are part of marine plankton. The abundance of sea ice encourages plankton production, so the relationship between the amount of ice and food availability is directly linked.
Scientists have attempted to quantify the effects of climate on survival rates, predict future trends, and integrate these climatic effects on population models. Specifically, scientists developed a model to “estimate the growth rates and the likelihood of near-extinction (a decline of 95 percent or more) under forecasts of future conditions of the ice, in relation to the climate models used by the IPCC.” These scientists discovered that 11 percent reduction in sea ice coincided with a 50 percent reduction in the population of this species. Most alarming is the extrapolation that the chances of reaching a state of near-extinction are 36 percent.
Via A Green Zone
