killer iceberg

• by jennfurr

  please tell me this isn't affecting any of our penguins? though it's still sad that any are killed... http://m.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/a-1077261.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer=

  Posted February 15, 2016 5:25 AM

• by gardenmaeve moderator

  We'll find out, jennfurr. Thank you for the link to the article. Remember that Adelies penguins face many challenges, and have done so for years. Such situations as this problem of the huge iceberg blocking their access to feeding waters is part of that pattern, only this time it also makes good headlines.

  Here's an English language report.
  CNN report of the problem

  Here is the HTML version of the report published about the study quoted in the CNN news article:
  Cambridge University Press, Antarctic Science Journal, 2 February, 2016

  This is the PDF version- easier to read for me: The impact of the giant iceberg B09B on population size and
  breeding success of Adélie penguins in Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica by KERRY-JAYNE WILSON, CHRIS S.M. TURNEY, CHRISTOPHER J. FOGWILL and ESTELLE BLAIR

  Posted February 15, 2016 12:11 PM

• by AvastMH moderator

  Well that's a very dramatic article and well worth reading. The future of the penguins 'annexed' by iceberg B09B is heart-rending. Thinking about the emergence of the group at the Boat Shed in Port Lockroy during the 1980s one would hope that the Adelie's at Denison Point might re-locate? Difficult to relocate though, when you're whole system is geared to return to your original nesting site.
  Thanks for posting this article @gardenmaeve and @jennfurr

  I recently read that large bergs are very useful for chilling water which improves the number of phytoplankton in local waters - and that in turn feeds krill. So to some extent it's an ill wind that blows no-one any good. But clearly if a berg causes a whole bay to clog with ice - that's another matter 😦

  Posted February 15, 2016 6:48 PM