TOURISM IN ANTARCTICA
ScienceDaily (Sep. 29, 2008) — Tourism on Antarctica is increasing and that can form a threat for the vulnerable South Pole area. Research from Maastricht University provides a possible solution: market the visitor rights to the highest bidder.
READ MORE AT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926100703.htm
Interview with Susan Fox Rogers, Author of Antarctica: Life on the Ice with Jim Benning, World Hum, 2007 READ MORE AT http://www.worldhum.com/qanda/item/susan_fox_rogers_antarctica_changes_you_20071127/
Climate Change Will Destroy Penguin Colonies, Says World Wildlife Fund Report, Oct. 9, 2008
Half to three-quarters of major Antarctic penguin colonies face decline or disappearance if global temperatures are allowed to climb by more than 2°C. A new WWF report – 2°C is Too Much – shows that the colonies of 50 per cent of the iconic emperor penguins and 75 per cent of the Adélie penguins are under threat.
Climate change models forecast that a 2°C temperature rise above pre-industrial level could be a reality in less than 40 years, producing a strong reduction in the sea ice cover of the Southern Ocean which is an essential nesting and feeding ground for Emperor and Adélie penguins.
A reduction in the sea ice is also likely to have a knock-on effect on the abundance of krill, which is a vital food source for penguins.
Juan Casavelos, WWF Antarctica Climate Change Coordinator said: “Penguins are very well adapted to living in the cold and extreme conditions of Antarctica, so the continued increase in global temperature and resulting loss of feeding areas and nesting zones for their chicks has already led to notable reductions in their populations.
“If temperatures increase by another two degrees these icons of the Antarctic will be seriously threatened.”
READ MORE AT http://www.wwf.org.nz/index.php/about_us/media_releases/entry/climate_change_to_devastate_or_destroy_many_penguin_colonies/