Antarctica 2010

Here's were it gets tough for me..... there were hundreds and hundreds of chicks too small to survive wandering from group to group looking for their parents. It was no easier for them, or their parents, to navigate the slushy terrain than it was for us. I won't dwell on this beyond the comments under this photo, but here's my theory - krill are the basis of the food chain in Antarctica. Everything, including the giant whales that migrate here during the summer months, depend on krill. In turn, krill depend on ice under which they breed in relative safety. When there isn't enough ice, there aren't enough krill. I believe the emperors bred very late this year due to lack of food and late-forming ice which is required to support their colony - hence all the small chicks.<br />
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In addition, the snow was littered with dead chicks. In my prior 2 trips, I'd seen a grand total of 1 dead chick. Predator birds are very efficient at keeping penguin colonies clean. This year they were simply overwhelmed. A scientist onboard our ship noted that almost all the dead chicks were large and otherwise healthy-looking. When emperor chicks get to be a certain size, both parents will leave them to go gather food. The chicks will huddle together waiting for their parents to return. The scientist believes an extreme weather event occurred which killed off the larger unprotected chicks, but left the smaller ones who were still in their parents' care safe.<br />
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No where on earth are the effects of a warming climate more evident than in Antarctica.... wild temperature fluctuations, open water where there should be icesheets 20 feet thick, violent storms when there should be relative calm. Aside from humans, what other animal can survive 100 degree temperature swings year-over-year in the places where they breed? When Joan and I were at this very spot in 2007 it was -52F; this year it was +48F. Ok, I'm done now.

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Here's were it gets tough for me..... there were hundreds and hundreds of chicks too small to survive wandering from group to group looking for their parents. It was no easier for them, or their parents, to navigate the slushy terrain than it was for us. I won't dwell on this beyond the comments under this photo, but here's my theory - krill are the basis of the food chain in Antarctica. Everything, including the giant whales that migrate here during the summer months, depend on krill. In turn, krill depend on ice under which they breed in relative safety. When there isn't enough ice, there aren't enough krill. I believe the emperors bred very late this year due to lack of food and late-forming ice which is required to support their colony - hence all the small chicks.

In addition, the snow was littered with dead chicks. In my prior 2 trips, I'd seen a grand total of 1 dead chick. Predator birds are very efficient at keeping penguin colonies clean. This year they were simply overwhelmed. A scientist onboard our ship noted that almost all the dead chicks were large and otherwise healthy-looking. When emperor chicks get to be a certain size, both parents will leave them to go gather food. The chicks will huddle together waiting for their parents to return. The scientist believes an extreme weather event occurred which killed off the larger unprotected chicks, but left the smaller ones who were still in their parents' care safe.

No where on earth are the effects of a warming climate more evident than in Antarctica.... wild temperature fluctuations, open water where there should be icesheets 20 feet thick, violent storms when there should be relative calm. Aside from humans, what other animal can survive 100 degree temperature swings year-over-year in the places where they breed? When Joan and I were at this very spot in 2007 it was -52F; this year it was +48F. Ok, I'm done now.

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