C L I M A T E C H A N G E& the

Adélie PenguinScientists are studying seabirds as indicators of climate change.

Who? What?

Why?

Palmer Station, Antarctica

Researcher in the field applying a PTT to a penguin. [left] Stomach contents from two Adélie penguins.

This plot is from PTT tags on the back of two birds, one male (blue) and one female (red). It records the birds’ journey offshore showing the male Adélie penguin traveling 45 miles further south to find food (Patterson, 2008).

Adélie penguin and chick.

Adélie penguins, a true native Antarctic species are the smallest and most widely distributed penguin. At 30 inches tall they weigh about 11lbs. They are found mainly in groups at sea on pack ice, coming onto more stable ground during the nesting season. They feed primarily on small crustaceans called krill but may also eat fish and squid.

Adélie penguin populations have decreased by 90% along the northern WAP region as their life histories are closely linked with sea ice. A 40% decrease in sea ice has shortened the season by three months. As a result, ice - intolerant Chinstrap (P. Antarctica) and Gentoo (P. Papua) populations have risen in the north and mid-Peninsula regions (Fraser & Patterson, 1997). Two hundred and fifty miles south, two and half million pairs of Adélie penguins are still breeding successfully, some experiencing an optimal mixture of ice and open water to help them thrive.

The western Antarctic Peninsula is presently undergoing the most rapid regional winter warming on Earth, in part because of its latitude (- 64.0 ˚ south -64.0˚ west) and its proximity to the tip of South America. Since 1990, Palmer LTER (PAL) has been monitoring this polar marine ecosystem and its changes.

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Adelie Chinstrap Gentoo

Adélie penguins are seen as indicators species exhibiting lifestyles closely linked with environmental change. Changing conditions along northern areas of the WAP indicate an average mid-winter temperature that is 2 °C warmer than it was 50 years ago. The breeding and foraging ecology of Adélie penguins is at risk as foraging trips for krill can often result in excursions lasting up to nine months.

Where?

Adélie Penguin Research Area (see inset map)

Pacific Ocean

North America

SouthAmerica

Asia

Australia

When?

Stammerjohn et. al. (2012)

How?Apart from local research on nearby Antarctic islands, 5-day field camps are set up on Avian Island about 400 km south of Palmer Station. Deployment of satellite-linked transmitting devices (PTT’s) are attached to the backs of Adélie penguins to follow the birds’ foraging journeys offshore in summer and winter. These tags help track the distance traveled and characterize the foraging areas where adults find food for their chicks.

Fraser and Patterson, 1997

K. Carlson

Adélie penguin populations in the western Pacific section of the Southern Ocean have occupied territory along the WAP near Palmer Station for at least the last 600 years (Smith et al.1999). Long-term changes in their populations correspond to changes in climate and sea ice patterns. The sea ice season along the Antarctic peninsula has been shortened by three months - with ice arriving later in autumn and departing earlier in spring.

Revised 2013 / B. SimmonsPalmer LTER Education & Outreach