Phytoplankton Levels Down 12% In 30 Years Along Northern Antarctic Peninsula - Growing Further South

[hatrack]

As the cold, dry climate of the western Antarctic Peninsula becomes warmer and more humid, phytoplankton - the bottom of the Antarctic food chain - is decreasing off the northern part the peninsula and increasing further south, Rutgers marine scientists have discovered.

In research to be published tomorrow in the journal Science, Martin Montes-Hugo and Oscar Schofield report that levels of phytoplankton off the western Antarctic Peninsula have decreased 12 percent over the past 30 years. Their paper, Recent Changes in Phytoplankton Communities Associated with Rapid Regional Climate Change Along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, draws on 30 years of satellite data and field studies.

Montes-Hugo is a postdoctoral researcher and Schofield is a professor of marine science at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University.

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of Antarctica, stretching north to within 640 miles of Tierra del Fuego in South America. "What is new is that we're showing for the first time that there is an ongoing change on phytoplankton concentration and composition along the western shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula that is associated with a long-term climate modification," Montes-Hugo said.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Phytoplankton_Is_Changing_Along_The_Antarctic_Peninsula_999.html

[opihimoimoi]

1. Them pesky Diatoms are in danger....Man has impacted the environs to the point

of screwing with the Base....

[hatrack]

2. Oh, and you heard about the krill fishing fleet - those crazy industrial fishermen!

Those zany, wacky, base-of-the-food-chain-gutting pranksters!!!

[opihimoimoi]

3. This is INSANE...the present day fishing fleet is in desperate need of revenues

and having that attitude...they plunder for thunder profits....without pause /concern of Base Damage Factor....

This NUTZ

also...numbers in studies can be misleading....lower krill count can be attributed to increasing whale pop...due to laws protecting them big fellas...they consume hugh amounts of energy converting to fat enabling 11 months of not having to eat, nap, ...they just play ans sing to each other for 11 months....their penises reach 15 feet and ya knoes they gonna make use of them...all from eating krill....

Too Many whales mean they eat too much krill....

Its come to this: Whales gatta go and we get the krill, or save the Whales and kill the fishing fleet.

whatcha gonna do....

[phantom power]

4. Tricksy, tricksy fishermen.