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Emperor Penguin Climate Change

Decent Essays

These massive changes in climate over millions of years brought about new species and ended others. As we are living in a cold period in the history of the earth’s climate, small temperature changes are attributed to increased levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. The important question is: how will these changes, man-made or otherwise, impact existing species? One easily observed example is Emperor penguins, residents of the shores and ice shelves of Antarctica. With increasing temperature of the ocean, the sea ice where they live melts, eliminating nesting areas, the sea levels rise, reducing shore habitat, and food supply becomes limited. The penguins’ main diet consists of krill, fish, and squid. Antarctic krill populations, their …show more content…

The ones residing on the northern coast of Antarctica are prone to ice melting, due to the increasing temperatures in the spring which shorten the ice season. Those on the southern coast are of least concern due to the fact that the temperature there fluctuates less drastically. Regarding the penguins’ nesting places, immense ice sheets are essential for them to hatch and raise chicks; during the ice season, Emperor penguins march 60-100 miles to their rookery around May, where they lay, incubate, and hatch their eggs. Usually, the chicks begin fledging about December and the adults leave. However, if the ice season is shorter due to warmer temperatures, the ice breaks earlier. Before the baby penguins can fully fledge and retain waterproof and swimming capabilities, the only habitat they know is swallowed into the ocean. Then, the immature chicks, unable to swim, are swept into the sea where they drown. The quintessential nesting grounds of Emperor penguins allow for expansion of their species. After all, predation by leopard seals and killer whales naturally reduces the population, and they must repopulate to sustain. The specific, freezing march of Emperor penguins to their nesting grounds was displayed in the acclaimed French documentary “March of the Penguins.” The documentary was recorded in the southern region of Antarctica, where temperatures recorded have less effect on the early

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