Sea ice movements can affect penguin habitats
| This sequence of images is of the movement of sea ice in the Ross Sea near Antarctica. It was taken by NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). A study funded by the National Science Foundation has determined that the huge icebergs seen in this image can cause problems for entire colonies of penguins. The presence of these icebergs can affect wind and current patterns and alter the formation of sea ice. Compare the first image in this sequence, taken in December of 2000, with the last image, taken a full year later. The massive icebergs have caused a huge expansion of the sea ice in late 2001. This sea ice inhibits penguin movements from their feeding grounds in the open ocean to their breeding areas. As a result, the penguin colonies in the region are expected to have their populations greatly reduced. |
Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
For more info: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=6768