Antarctic Peninsula Changes
The Antarctic Peninsula projects out for a 1000 km from the main Antarctic continent; the nearest landmass to the Antarctic is South America a 1000 km to the north.
In the last fifty years the Antarctic Peninsula has had a 2.
5 degree C increase in temperature; this is five times the average for continental Antarctica.
From Antarctic drilled cores the greatest increase in temperature in the last 900,00 years has happened since the Industrial Revolution two hundred years ago.
The Antarctic ice and some of the antarctic wildlife has decreased with the increase in temperature.
Decrease in Antarctic Ice The northern part of the Larsen Ice Shelf on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula has broken up; it is no longer possible to travel all the way along the ice shelf.
87% of the glaciers in the Antarctic Peninsula area have retreated in fifty years.
Sea ice has lessened each winter.
This has affected krill larvae, which live under the sea ice.
The small shrimp like crustaceans have decreased in population in the last few decades.
The Emperor penguins depend on krill.
This food supply for the small southerly Adelie penguin has also diminished.
Chinstraps and gentoo penguins further north are still holding their own, though there has been more heat stress for penguins due to higher summer temperatures.
Increase of Whales and Fur Seals Some Antarctic Peninsula wildlife has increased in numbers for other reasons.
The decrease in whaling in the last forty years has seen a slow increase in the larger whale populations.
More dramatic increases are observed in fur seals.
Almost decimated at the end of the nineteenth century for their fur the fur seals have increased in vast numbers and in range.
The lack of whales increased the fur seal food supply, and the protection now given to the seals by humans has greatly helped their numbers.
Rapid Increase in Antarctic Peninsula Tourists Another change in the Antarctic Peninsula region is the increased number of humnas who visit in the summer.
The number of scientists remains fairly constant; the change is in tourists.
In the 1960s there wer a few hundred.
By the mid-1990s there were some 9,000.
In the 2005/6 summer season 27,000 visitors toured along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The 2006/7 season saw over 37,000 viewing the cold beautiful scenery and the varied wildlife.
This change may have the greatest effect on the Antarctic Peninsula.
In the last fifty years the Antarctic Peninsula has had a 2.
5 degree C increase in temperature; this is five times the average for continental Antarctica.
From Antarctic drilled cores the greatest increase in temperature in the last 900,00 years has happened since the Industrial Revolution two hundred years ago.
The Antarctic ice and some of the antarctic wildlife has decreased with the increase in temperature.
Decrease in Antarctic Ice The northern part of the Larsen Ice Shelf on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula has broken up; it is no longer possible to travel all the way along the ice shelf.
87% of the glaciers in the Antarctic Peninsula area have retreated in fifty years.
Sea ice has lessened each winter.
This has affected krill larvae, which live under the sea ice.
The small shrimp like crustaceans have decreased in population in the last few decades.
The Emperor penguins depend on krill.
This food supply for the small southerly Adelie penguin has also diminished.
Chinstraps and gentoo penguins further north are still holding their own, though there has been more heat stress for penguins due to higher summer temperatures.
Increase of Whales and Fur Seals Some Antarctic Peninsula wildlife has increased in numbers for other reasons.
The decrease in whaling in the last forty years has seen a slow increase in the larger whale populations.
More dramatic increases are observed in fur seals.
Almost decimated at the end of the nineteenth century for their fur the fur seals have increased in vast numbers and in range.
The lack of whales increased the fur seal food supply, and the protection now given to the seals by humans has greatly helped their numbers.
Rapid Increase in Antarctic Peninsula Tourists Another change in the Antarctic Peninsula region is the increased number of humnas who visit in the summer.
The number of scientists remains fairly constant; the change is in tourists.
In the 1960s there wer a few hundred.
By the mid-1990s there were some 9,000.
In the 2005/6 summer season 27,000 visitors toured along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The 2006/7 season saw over 37,000 viewing the cold beautiful scenery and the varied wildlife.
This change may have the greatest effect on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Source...