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January 30, 2005
That damn berg again
Well it's time that I give people an update about that big ole iceberg B15A that's been terrorizing penguins and people both down Antarctic way. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this post and this post that give a brief rundown on what's been happening.
Then you should probably read this article from The New Scientist, that brings us up to speed. I forwarded the article down to someone actually there on the scene (the editor of the McMurdo Research Station newspaper) for his comments:
Hey Jason .... read the article, it's pretty right on ... I noticed one thing in it regarding the penguins plight that actually is true ... the bergs changed the currents, which seems to have led to a large amount of "fast ice" (sea ice that is connected to land). That has meant that the penguins have to leave the water earlier, stop feeding earlier and then return across that same patch of ice once their chicks hatch or the winter starts and they have to leave. That means that they probably won't get a chance to eat for several months. Penguins that summer at colonies close to the ice edge probably will be fine. Those with nests near Scott Base are some 80km from the edge and walked the entire way, on two-inch legs. They probably won't make it back and will starve to death on the return trip. On the far side of Ross Island from McMurdo is a place called Cape Crozier. The penguins there have had a hard time because the bergs and bergy bits have continually spiralled around in that area and have both swept up plankton and other nutrients or caused them not to grow. That kills the food chain at the beginning and eventually there's less fish for the penguins to eat. That means they have to spend more time hunting, probably eat less and can't care for their chicks as long. If one of the mates dies, the other will stay with the nest until right before they starve to death, then they will abandon the chicks. These feeding-starving cycles have been playing out for the last 3-5 years and probably repeats many times over a century.
So that seems to be the current situation down there with the big berg, that bully block of ice is killing off the cuddly little penguins. Damn that sucks!
I'd be failing if I didn't give you a current satellite photo of the scene, so here it is (taken on the 29th and courtesy of NASA):
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at January 30, 2005 4:31 PM
