Researchers: Global Warming Is Endangering Emperor Penguins

[Rhykker]

Researchers: Global Warming Is Endangering Emperor Penguins

According to researchers, emperor penguin populations will have decreased by at minimum one fifth by 2100 due to melting sea ice caused by climate change.

Last week, a study revealed that Nature Climate Change [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/135601-Emperor-Penguins-Handling-Climate-Change-Better-Than-Expected], melting sea ice is causing a loss of the penguin's primary food source, which will inevitably affect penguin population. Emperor penguins eat krill, a shrimp-like crustacean that feeds off algae in the sea ice.

The paper states that by 2100, all emperor penguin colonies are projected to be declining, with at least two-thirds expected to be less than half the size they currently are. The global population is projected to have declined by at least 19% by this time.

"The population is declining. Unless something changes to stop that, the population will go into extinction," said Hal Caswell, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and one of the authors.

The researchers went on to suggest that these findings warrant protecting emperor penguins under the endangered species act, which would mean the creation of marine reserves off Antarctica and the implementation of laws to protect the animals.




Source: The Guardian [http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/29/emperor-penguins-at-risk-of-extinction-scientists-warn]


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[balladbird]

Global warming is endangering the birds... now it's only a matter of time before they start exploding.

Seriously though, it's a disturbing trend.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Not surprising. The first animals to go when there's a major change are the ones too well adapted to one environment.

In other words, Antarctic penguins and polar bears were always screwed, we just brought it about a lot faster.

 

[FogHornG36]

well tell global warming to stop!

 

[Rhykker]

well tell global warming to stop!

Global Warming is caused by the collective will of all Canadians wishing for warmer weather.

 

[Clowndoe]

Global Warming is caused by the collective will of all Canadians wishing for warmer weather.

If I get that reference, then I should add that we also paint stuff yellow, because yellow stuff is hot.

 

[PoloniumFist]

Emperor penguins are my favorite animal

 

[Plunkies]

And yet in a different article today I read that Antarctic sea ice just hit a record all-time high since 1979. Hrm, which to believe, the one based on facts of today or the one making predictions about penguin populations 100 years into the future.

 

[harryhenry]

And yet in a different article today I read that Antarctic sea ice just hit a record all-time high since 1979. Hrm, which to believe, the one based on facts of today or the one making predictions about penguin populations 100 years into the future.

What article was that?
Also, about the sea ice: http://www.skepticalscience.com/Watts-Up-With-That-ignorance-regarding-Antarctic-sea-ice.html

 

[Plunkies]

And yet in a different article today I read that Antarctic sea ice just hit a record all-time high since 1979. Hrm, which to believe, the one based on facts of today or the one making predictions about penguin populations 100 years into the future.

What article was that?
Also, about the sea ice: http://www.skepticalscience.com/Watts-Up-With-That-ignorance-regarding-Antarctic-sea-ice.html

http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/seaice.anomaly.antarctic.png

 

[Happiness Assassin]

WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE PENGUINS!!!

Seriously, penguins are like my favorite animals. They are just so fancy.

 

[Nieroshai]

But then how is it that creatures nowhere near the poles eat krill? Surely krill isn't only polar. Also, don't penguins eat fish? This raises so many questions.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

So can we genetically manipulate all penguins to live in warmer climates?
It's not like global warming will stop any time soon.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Not the Emperor Penguins! Will this finally be the thing to motivate people around the world to bind together as one in solidarity, install some solar panels, and fucking make an effort?!

Spoiler

No.

WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE PENGUINS!!!

Seriously, penguins are like my favorite animals. They are just so fancy.

At least it isn't chinstraps then.

 

[DeaDRabbiT]

And yet in a different article today I read that Antarctic sea ice just hit a record all-time high since 1979. Hrm, which to believe, the one based on facts of today or the one making predictions about penguin populations 100 years into the future.

What article was that?
Also, about the sea ice: http://www.skepticalscience.com/Watts-Up-With-That-ignorance-regarding-Antarctic-sea-ice.html

You really can't quote either WUWT or SkepticalScience articles. Both are unrelentingly invested in their own side of the argument.

NOAA apparently just today changed the hottest day from July 2012 back to sometime in 1933 (I think)

The anthropogenic argument seems to always exclude the suns role in global warming, and seems to ignore the clockwork recurrence of cooling trends associated with the post solar peak years.

I think when there are published accounts of scientists discussing how best to accrue grant dollars to study the climate, and part of that discussion revolves round including a "catastrophic human element" we all need to step back and wonder who is playing who here.

 

[WWmelb]

And yet in a different article today I read that Antarctic sea ice just hit a record all-time high since 1979. Hrm, which to believe, the one based on facts of today or the one making predictions about penguin populations 100 years into the future.

What article was that?
Also, about the sea ice: http://www.skepticalscience.com/Watts-Up-With-That-ignorance-regarding-Antarctic-sea-ice.html

You really can't quote either WUWT or SkepticalScience articles. Both are unrelentingly invested in their own side of the argument.

NOAA apparently just today changed the hottest day from July 2012 back to sometime in 1933 (I think)

The anthropogenic argument seems to always exclude the suns role in global warming, and seems to ignore the clockwork recurrence of cooling trends associated with the post solar peak years.

I think when there are published accounts of scientists discussing how best to accrue grant dollars to study the climate, and part of that discussion revolves round including a "catastrophic human element" we all need to step back and wonder who is playing who here.

The fact is, humans ARE releasing a metric fuckton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which causes it to retain heat, while systematically destroying the only things that reduce the levels of cardon dioxide in the atmosphere. That really isn't rocket science.

One hot day in 1933 does not disprove climate change, its just a weather anomaly. For sake of explaining the difference


And as you said, the recurrence of climate change throughout the history of the earth has been pretty much clockwork. The overall rise in temperature averages, and the temperature of the oceans over the last century do not seem to fit into the correct timeline for this to be a natural occurrence.

 

[misg]

Not surprising. The first animals to go when there's a major change are the ones too well adapted to one environment.

In other words, Antarctic penguins and polar bears were always screwed, we just brought it about a lot faster.

Except polar bears are doing just fine in fact their population has gone up over the last 15 years.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1ea8233f-14da-4a44-b839-b71a9e5df868

People like to hype the demise of the polar bear for donations, but the fact it they are very protected and live in a vast and different environments and are very adaptable.

 

[Plunkies]

You really can't quote either WUWT or SkepticalScience articles. Both are unrelentingly invested in their own side of the argument.

The primary difference being that WUWT's purpose is typically to correct misinformation, while Skeptical Science was created to disseminate more of it.

Misinformation, like for example, apocalyptic penguin predictions....

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/07/01/blinded-by-beliefs-the-straight-poop-on-emperor-penguins/

Unfortunately, websites and media outlets love doomsday predictions, so that's what gets the most attention. Sort of explains why the belief in catastrophic anthropogenic global warming is so popular despite some two decades of no warming and failed climate models.