Life at the Poles: Eight Polar Animals That Face the Promise and Peril of Climate Change
When sea ice disappears some polar inhabitants advance, whereas others retreat
Life at the Poles: Eight Polar Animals That Face the Promise and Peril of Climate Change
- THIN-SHELLED: When carbon dioxide in the atmosphere dissolves in the ocean, it makes the water more acidic. This change in pH can interfere with shellfish, hindering their ability to build shells. Animals in Antarctic waters are particularly at risk because their shells tend to be precariously thin... Bill Baker
- KRILL KILL: Say hello to krill, shrimplike crustaceans that live in the sea. They are the principal food source for many animals, including penguins, seals and—especially—baleen whales. In the ocean near the Antarctic Peninsula, krill have plummeted about 80 percent in the past 30 years, which has affected the entire food chain there... Flip Nicklin / Minden Pictures
- PRETTY PLANKTON: Diatoms are single-celled algae that dominate the bottom of the food web along the Antarctic Peninsula, which is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. Since 1950, the peninsula has increased in temperature about 6.1 degrees Fahrenheit (3.4 degrees Celsius)... Courtesy of Kristen Myers (the Marine Biological Laboratory and Brown University)
- ON THE ROCKS: The polar bear [ pictured ], narwhal and hooded seal are the Arctic mammals most sensitive to climate change, according to a recent analysis. Hooded seals and polar bears are especially at risk because of their reliance on a sea ice habitat... NOAA Climate Program Office, NABOS 2006 Expedition
