While we're on the subject of Antarctica, Jon Bowermaster is continuing his journey at the bottom of the world as well, and sent back another dispatch via his blog.
Jon has now made his way to Petermann Island, where they have spotted their first penguin chicks of the season. The island is home to a unique place, where Gentoos and Adelies and blue-eyed shags all live together and hatch their young together. But Bowermaster says that the number of Adelies on Petermann is dropping by roughly 10 percent each year. This year, they number around 300 mated pairs, but just a few years ago, that was more than 500. The birds love cold weather, and the island just isn't cold enough for them any more, but where exactly they are going, remains a bit of a mystery, even amongst the scientists that study penguins.
Petermann Island is just another location in the Antarctic that is feeling the direct impact of global climate change. The birds that are a hallmark of the place have begun to abandon it, and in large numbers. There are still plenty of tiny penguin chicks there again this season, but those numbers are dropping quickly, and it won't be long before the Adelies are no longer spotted on the shores of this special and unique place.
This most recent dispatch from Jon came on the 23rd of December. Expect more from the frozen continent soon, with great insights on how climate change is directly effecting the place, from a man who has watched it change every year over the past decade.
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