Penguins in Peril as Acidity of Antarctic Waters Set to Double by 2100

Penguins and other wildlife are in peril as the acidity of Antarctic waters is set to double by the end of the century.

Research from the University of Colorado, Boulder, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that the coastal waters around the continent could see a 100 percent increase in acidity by 2100 when compared to acidity levels in 1990.

These waters are home to not just penguins but other marine species, such as whales. There are several penguin species living in Antarctica, including the emperor penguin.

Ocean acidification has a negative knock-on effect on all marine species. The acid eats away at essential minerals used by clams, sea snails, crabs, and sea urchins, weakening their shells. This impacts the food chain, as predators like penguins and whales rely on these creatures as prey.

Ocean water becomes acidic as a result of absorbing the carbon dioxide. This causes PH levels in the water to reduce, turning it more acidic. Due to human activities, carbon dioxide is more abundant in the atmosphere, meaning nature can not keep up with it. This means it inevitably falls into the ocean.

“The findings are critical for our understanding of the future evolution of marine ecosystem health,” Nicole Lovenduski, the paper’s co-author and the interim director of CU Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), said in a summary detailing the findings.

To reach their findings, researchers used a computer model that simulated how the ocean water would change throughout the next century if global emissions were not cut. The findings are incredibly concerning.

The researchers stated that human-induced climate change is the main cause.

“Human-caused CO2 emissions are at the heart of ocean acidification,” said Cara Nissen, the paper’s first author and a research scientist at INSTAAR. “It’s not just the top layer of the ocean. The entire water column of the coastal Southern Ocean, even at the bottom, could experience severe acidification.”

Researchers focused on areas where fishing and other human activities are restricted to protect biodiversity. These areas would see “significant acidification” by 2100.

Antarctica’s ocean is more vulnerable to acidification because colder water is able to absorb more CO2. However, Nissen said that the potential severity of ocean acidification in these areas was still surprising.

Antarctica’s wildlife is already facing many other threats from climate change. As global temperatures rise, ice in the region, which provides an essential habitat for many animals, is melting rapidly. The melting ice feeds into the ocean, rising sea levels as a whole.

In their research, scientists propose making the Weddell Sea a protected area, as they discovered it has the highest sea ice level in the region. The ice isn’t just an essential habitat but can act as a buffer for CO2, shielding seawater from absorbing as much from the atmosphere.

“The result shows that establishing the Weddell Sea region as a protected area should have high priority,” Nissen said.

“As a scientist who typically studies the open ocean, I tend to think of Antarctic coastal areas as a conduit for climate signals to reach the global, deep ocean. This study reminded me that these dynamic Antarctic coastal areas are also themselves capable of rapid change,” Lovenduski said.

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