Climate Change Threatens Antarctic Penguin Population

ForexTV NewsDesk   |  June 20 2012 4:47 EDT

ForexTV.com (New York) by Conor Kelly

A species of penguin is being heavily affected by climate change, despite predictions made by environmentalist reports published in the 1990s. The chinstrap penguin, known for its preference for cold waters without ice, was expected to benefit from warmer climates, although its population has been reduced by over one third in the past two decades.

Scientists blame the declining population of krill, the shrimp-like creatures most species of penguins subsist on. While the climate change has not directly harmed the chinstrap penguin, the climate change has drastically reduced the number of krill, which prefer ice water.

Study researcher Andres Barbosa was among the first of Antarctic researchers to record the dwindling population of the chinstrap penguins. In addition to the chinstrap penguins, Barbosa tallied Adélie and Gentoo penguins. The Gentoo penguins have a more varied diet than the chinstrap penguins, which Barbosa claims is conclusive evidence for the krill’s impact on penguin population.

Although Deception Island, Barbosa’s study site, is a large tourist destination, Barbosa claims that tourism has not affected the penguin’s population.

Instead, Barbosa has taken this opportunity to point out the impact of human activity on the poles, stating that “a more responsible use of the energy and the fossil fuels is necessary to preserve the planet and then the [Antarctic].” Barbosa suggests that the culprit behind penguin endangerment is overfishing, tourism, and even study research, and that the fate of the poles depends on changing these behaviors.

Forex research by ForexTV.com