Studying Belgica at the Bottom of the World

Climate change is happening more quickly and dramatically in Antarctica than in other parts of the world, so it’s a perfect place to study the effects of warming temperatures.

Here is some evidence of climate change at Palmer Station:

Records show that  the temperature on the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula has increased 2.5 degrees C in the in the past 30 years, and the amount of precipitation (rain and snowfall) has also increased.  This has accelerated the retreat of the glacier.

 Our backyard gets bigger by the year!

The glacier has been retreating at the rate of 33 feet/year since 1965.  The red line in the top picture shows where the glacier used to end in 1981 compared to where it ended in 2005. 

As we hike behind the station, there are markers that show where the edge of the glacier used to be.  This marker is from 1996. 

We collect larvae on Norsel Point.  (See photo above.)  In geography, a “point” is understood be a peninsula surrounded on 3 sides by water.  As the glacier melts, however, researchers have found that Norsel “Point” is not connected to land at all — it’s actually an island!

Adelie penguins have lived in the Western Antarctica for over 600 years.  The picture above shows Dr. Rick at Palmer Station in 1981.  (He swears that he’s sporting a full mane under that black hat.  I stay away from that hairy subject.)  Notice the size of the penguin colony. 

photo from Palmer LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) 

This photo is taken within the last ten years.  The green line is a stark reminder that the number of breeding Adelie pairs has decreased from around 13,600 in 1981 to around 2,700 in 2011.

photo from Palmer LTER (Long Term Ecological Research)

Adelie penguins need dry, snow-free places to lay their eggs.  As the temperature rises along the Antarctic Peninsula, the air can hold more moisture.  More moisture means more snow in the summers than there used to be.  Because of this summer  snow, adults must try to keep their young warm in nests filled with ice water (melted snow.)  If the eggs and chicks become chilled, they will die. 

Although the numbers of Adelie penguins are decreasing around Palmer Station, populations are more stable in other parts of Antarctica.  Warm water species such as Gentoos and Chinstraps are actually moving further south along the Antarctic Peninsula, and increasing in population in the Palmer Station area.

photo from adventuresofrojo.blogspot.com

As the climate warms here, fur seals are also ranging further south on the Antarctic Peninsula.  When Dr. Rick was here in 1981, he saw only one or two fur seals in an entire summer.  This summer (2011), the staff at Palmer Station reports seeing approximately 200 fur seals.

So, that’s the story from the western Antarctic Peninsula. 

It’s remarkable how much change has occured in the region over the past thirty years.  I wonder what will happen over the next thirty?

For now, this is pensive Polar Pat, signing off . . .

Sources: 

Constible, J., L. Sandro, & R. Lee.  (2008).  Climate Change From Pole to Pole.  Virginia:  NSTA Press

Soper, T.  (2000).  Antarctica:  A Guide to the Wildlife, 3rd ed. Connecticut:  The Globe Pequot Press, Inc.