Nature » South Pole http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature The premier natural history series Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:06:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Penguins of the Antarctic: Interactive Map: Antarctic Penguin Habitats http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/interactive-map-antarctic-penguin-habitats/185/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/interactive-map-antarctic-penguin-habitats/185/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:51:19 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/?p=185

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/interactive-map-antarctic-penguin-habitats/185/feed/ 9 Penguins of the Antarctic: Video: Penguin Paso Doble http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/video-penguin-paso-doble/199/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/video-penguin-paso-doble/199/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:33:06 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/?p=199 Male emperor penguins strut their stuff in a penguin version of the Paso Doble, courting prospective mates.


media
]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/video-penguin-paso-doble/199/feed/ 3 Penguins of the Antarctic: Introduction http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/introduction/181/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/introduction/181/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:27:56 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/2008/06/04/overview-3/ NATURE braves the extreme conditions of Earth’s southernmost continent for a close-up look at the varied Penguins of the Antarctic.

As night falls in Antarctica, biting winds cast horizontal snow across the dark backs of a mass of huddled emperor penguins. The temperature is 50 below zero, the gales are 90 miles per hour, and the sun won’t rise again for more than two months. NATURE captures these amazing — and well-dressed — flightless birds shivering on the ice as well as gliding through their most comfortable element, the water — a balmy bath compared to the air temperature above — where the emperors can hold their breath up to 20 minutes and dive a mile deep. Meanwhile, on the shores of Zavodovski Island, an active volcano, two million chinstrap penguins breed and travel on their own “superhighway” between the sea and their colonies on higher ground — taking care to evade the occasional 12-foot long leopard seal, which can consume six penguins in an hour.

Emperors and kings, chinstraps and Adélies — NATURE follows the penguins’ difficult journey through the cycle of seasons and explores how a changing climate is affecting their habitat and survival.

Online, our interactive penguin map will take you around the Antarctic region for a closer look at six penguin species and their habitats. An essay will help reveal why krill is both the penguins’ favorite food, and the foundation of the Antarctic ecosystem. Also, read more about the issues related to climate change and its potential impact on Antarctica. Finally, watch our penguin Photo Essay, and then test your understanding of the penguin’s cold-weather adaptations in the Penguin Secrets of Survival Challenge.

To order a copy of Penguins of the Antarctic, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Penguins of the Antarctic was originally posted November 2006.

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/introduction/181/feed/ 31 Penguins of the Antarctic: Production Credits http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/production-credits/177/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/production-credits/177/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:51:51 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/2008/06/04/production-credits-4/ Television Credits

PENGUINS OF THE ANTARCTIC

Narrated By
WILL PATTON

Producers
MARK FLETCHER
ROGER WEBB

Photography
JOHN & MARY-LOU AITCHISON
DOUG ALLAN
STEPHEN DE VERE
SIMON KING
HUGH MAYNARD
MICHAEL W. RICHARDS

Edited By
MARK FLETCHER

Music By
JENNIE MUSKETT

Dubbing Editor
TIM OWENS

Dubbing Mixer
BEN PEACE

Writer
DAVID HELTON

Production Coordinator
ALISON SUKER

Production Manager
SALLY MARK

The BBC Wishes to Thank
BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY
MICHAEL P. MEREDITH
RICHARD PHILLIPS
DOMINIC HODGSON
JOHN CROXALL
PHIL TRATHAN
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
HT HARVEY & ASSOCIATES
DAVID AINLEY
BEN OSBORNE

Series Editor
TIM MARTIN

© 2006 BBC All Rights Reserved


For NATURE

Series Editor
JANET HESS

Supervising Producer
JANICE YOUNG

Senior Producer
LAURA METZGER

Producer
JILL CLARKE

Associate Producer
IRENE TEJARATCHI

Production Assistant
RACHAEL TEEL

Manager
EILEEN FRAHER

Production Manager
JULIE SCHAPIRO THORMAN

Online Editor
BRUNO PELLEGRINI

Sound Mixer
ED CAMPBELL

Series Producer
BILL MURPHY

Executive In Charge
WILLIAM GRANT

Executive Producer
FRED KAUFMAN

A co-production of Thirteen/WNET New York and BBC

This program was produced by Thirteen/WNET New York, which is solely responsible for its content.

© 2006 Educational Broadcasting Corporation
Web Credits

Director of Production
DANIEL B. GREENBERG

Producer
TANNER VEA

Production Assistant
DANIEL ROSS

Writer
JOHN UHL

Designer
MICHAEL DIMAURO

Creative Director
NICK MILLER

Pagebuilding
BRIAN SANTALONE

Technical Director
BRIAN LEE

Photos for “Overview,” “For Educators,” and “Resources” © Ben Osborne. Photo for “Climate Change in the Antarctic” © Corel. Photo for “Krill: Cornerstone of the Antarctic” © MAR-ECO/Øystein Paulsen. Other images from “Penguins of the Antarctic.”

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Dan Goldman, Executive Director, thirteen.org. Bob Adleman, Business Manager.

This site is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York.

© 1997-2008 The Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/production-credits/177/feed/ 0 Penguins of the Antarctic: Additional Web Resources http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/additional-web-resources/183/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/additional-web-resources/183/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:38:21 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/2008/06/04/resources-3/ Web Sites

Cool Antarctica
http://www.coolantarctica.com/index.html
This site contains pictures, general information and a travel guide of Antarctica.

National Science Foundation: Arctic & Antarctic Research Overview
http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/arcticantarctic/index.jsp
Learn more about the research NSF is doing in the Antarctic. NSF manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, which coordinates almost all U.S. science on the continent, including research carried out by other federal agencies.

National Science Foundation, Special Report: U.S. South Pole Station
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/livingsouthpole/index.jsp
Rich in multimedia, this special report explains all there is to know about the U.S. South Pole Station.

British Antarctic Survey
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/index.php
Read about what scientific research the British Antarctic Survey has done in and around the Antarctic continent.

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
http://www.ccamlr.org/
The aim of the Convention is to conserve marine life of the Southern Ocean.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Climate Resources
http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html
NOAA is a federal agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere.

NOAA: Global Warming FAQs
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
Read the NOAA’s frequently asked questions about global warming.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
http://www.ipcc.ch/
The role of the IPCC is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.

The Pew Center on Global Climate Change
http://www.pewclimate.org/
Research on global warming, its causes and effects, greenhouse gas emissions trends, environmental impacts, and possible solutions.


Related Episodes

The World of Penguins

Antarctica: The End of the Earth

Under Antarctic Ice

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/additional-web-resources/183/feed/ 0 Fightless Birds and Scientific Research: Lesson http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/fightless-birds-and-scientific-research/lesson/180/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/fightless-birds-and-scientific-research/lesson/180/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:31:36 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/2008/06/04/for-educators-flightless-birds-and-scientific-research-overview/ Overview

Antarctica is a continent devoted to science. Penguins, the flightless birds that have adapted to living in the harsh conditions of the Antarctic, are of particular interest to researchers. In this lesson, students will research what scientists are studying on Antarctica and what they hope to gain from their research. They will also create a multi-media story about the challenges penguins face living in this harsh environment.

Grade Level: Grades 9-12

Subject Areas: Language Arts, Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to do the following:

  • create a presentation that explains the role of research in Antarctica.
  • synthesize information from a variety of sources.
  • summarize an issue that is impacting wildlife in Antarctica.

Materials:

Bookmark the following sites:

STANDARDS

www.mcrel.org

Language Arts

Writing

Standard 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process

5. Uses strategies to address writing to different audiences (e.g., includes explanations and definitions according to the audience’s background, age, or knowledge of the topic, adjusts formality of style, considers interests of potential readers)

6. Uses strategies to adapt writing for different purposes (e.g., to explain, inform, analyze, entertain, reflect, persuade)

7. Writes expository compositions (e.g., synthesizes and organizes information from first- and second-hand sources, including books, magazines, computer data banks, and the community; uses a variety of techniques to develop the main idea [names, describes, or differentiates parts; compares or contrasts; examines the history of a subject; cites an anecdote to provide an example; illustrates through a scenario; provides interesting facts about the subject]; distinguishes relative importance of facts, data, and ideas; uses appropriate technical terms and notations)

Standard 2. Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing

1. Uses precise and descriptive language that clarifies and enhances ideas and supports different purposes (e.g., to stimulate the imagination of the reader, to translate concepts into simpler or more easily understood terms, to achieve a specific tone, to explain concepts in literature)

5. Uses a variety of techniques to provide supporting detail (e.g., analogies; anecdotes; restatements; paraphrases; examples; comparisons; visual aids, such as tables, graphs, and pictures)

Standard 4. Gathers and uses information for research purposes

1. Uses appropriate research methodology (e.g., formulates questions and refines topics, develops a plan for research; organizes what is known about a topic; uses appropriate research methods, such as questionnaires, experiments, field studies; collects information to narrow and develop a topic and support a thesis)

2. Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research topics (e.g., news sources such as magazines, radio, television, newspapers; government publications; microfiche; telephone information services; databases; field studies; speeches; technical documents; periodicals; Internet)

Standard 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

1. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines, essays, primary source historical documents, editorials, news stories, periodicals, catalogs, job-related materials, schedules, speeches, memoranda, public documents, maps)

2. Knows the defining characteristics of a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines, essays, primary source historical documents, editorials, news stories, periodicals, catalogs, job-related materials, schedules, speeches, memoranda, public documents, maps)

4. Uses a variety of criteria to evaluate the clarity and accuracy of information (e.g., author’s bias, use of persuasive strategies, consistency, clarity of purpose, effectiveness of organizational pattern, logic of arguments, reasoning, expertise of author, propaganda techniques, authenticity, appeal to friendly or hostile audience, faulty modes of persuasion)

Life Sciences

Standard 6. Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment

1. Knows how the interrelationships and interdependencies among organisms generate stable ecosystems that fluctuate around a state of rough equilibrium for hundreds or thousands of years (e.g., growth of a population is held in check by environmental factors such as depletion of food or nesting sites, increased loss due to larger numbers of predators or parasites)

5. Knows ways in which humans can alter the equilibrium of ecosystems, causing potentially irreversible effects (e.g., human population growth, technology, and consumption; human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, and atmospheric changes

Procedures for Teachers

The purpose of this activity is to pique students’ interest and build background knowledge on Antarctica.

Introductory activity – 30 minutes

  1. The Exploratorium’s website Antarctica: Scientific Journeys from Mc Murdo to the Pole contains field notes from research scientists who are studying in Antarctica. Divide the students into small groups. Assign each group one of the journal entries on the Exploratorium website.
    http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/fieldnotes/index.html
  2. Ask groups to read the entry and record the main details from the pieces. After all the groups have finished, have them share the information from the entry with the rest of the class.
  3. Groups who finish early may check out the interactive map on the Exploratorium website that explains why petrified palm trees were found along the eastern coast of Antarctica.
    http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/ideas/gondwana2.html

Steps

Activity one – three class periods

The purpose of this activity is for students to learn about the importance of research in Antarctica.

  1. Tell the students that they are going to pretend that they are research scientists in Antarctica. Explain that the funding for their research will be cut unless they can justify the importance of their research. Tell students that they will gather information on the research that is being conducted in Antarctica and prepare a presentation that explains what they are researching and why it is important for them to continue with their research.
  2. Divide the class into seven groups and assign each group one of the topics below.
    • Climate change
    • Oceanography
    • Biology
    • Environmental issues
    • Greenhouse gasses and global warming
    • Marine life
    • Glaciology
  3. Pass out the “Researching The Researchers” organizer. Explain to students that they will gather information on their assigned topic and create a presentation to explain and justify their research.The following is a list of Internet resources to help students begin their research:
  4. Explain to students that their presentation should address the following topics:
    • An overview of their topic of study
    • Explanation of the focus of the research the scientists are conducting
    • An explanation of the research goals
    • An explanation of what has been learned from the research
    • An explanation of what they hope to learn in the future
    • An explanation of why is it important that the research continues
  5. Assemble a panel to listen to the presentations. Based on the information in the presentations, have the panel decide if the research group will have its funding extended.

Activity two – two class periods

  1. Discuss the quotation from NATURE’S “Penguins of the Antarctic” program “But Adélies live just inside the margins of possibility, any unseasonably bad weather and a whole generation can be lost.”
  2. Explain to students that they are going to create a short “Inside the Margins of Possibility” multi-media storyboard that explains a specific issue that impacts the Adélie penguins. Tell students that the story will include photographs, drawings and/or graphs, text and a sound track. Pass out the “Inside the Margins of Possibility” storyboard organizers.Students may use information from NATURE’S “Penguins of the Antarctic” program and the following websites to create their multi-media story.
  3. Provide time for students to share their storyboards with the class. If you have access to the appropriate software, you may chose to have students create a digital version of their story. Teacher Note: It is not necessary to limit the creation of storyboards to the Adélie penguin. Students may create a storyboard for other Antarctic penguins or wildlife.

Extension activity – one class period and one homework
assignment

Current Events

Have students visit The Antarctic Sun website to keep in touch with what is happening in Antarctica. The Antarctic Sun website contains news articles on events and research taking place in Antarctica. Ask students to choose an article and write a current events report based on the information in the article.

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/fightless-birds-and-scientific-research/lesson/180/feed/ 1 Penguins: Sensitive Indicators: Lesson http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/penguins-sensitive-indicators/lesson/179/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/penguins-sensitive-indicators/lesson/179/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:23:52 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/2008/06/04/for-educators-penguins-sensitive-indicators-overview/ Overview

Antarctica is a sensitive indicator of global change. Scientists from around the world are studying the impact that climate changes are having on the penguins of Antarctica. In this lesson, students will gather information regarding penguins and write a story from a penguin’s point-of-view that describes his or her daily life. Students will also research the impact of climate change on Antarctica and create a poster to call attention to the topic.

Grade Level: Grades 6-8

Subject Areas: Language Arts, Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to do the following:

  • synthesize information from a variety of sources.
  • create a story that summarizes information about penguins.
  • design a poster that addresses the impact of climate changes on Antarctica.

Materials:

Bookmark the following sites:

STANDARDS

www.mcrel.org

Language Arts

Writing

Standard 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process

5. Uses strategies to address writing to different audiences (e.g., includes explanations and definitions according to the audience’s background, age, or knowledge of the topic, adjusts formality of style, considers interests of potential readers)

6. Uses strategies to adapt writing for different purposes (e.g., to explain, inform, analyze, entertain, reflect, persuade)

7. Writes expository compositions (e.g., synthesizes and organizes information from first- and second-hand sources, including books, magazines, computer data banks, and the community; uses a variety of techniques to develop the main idea [names, describes, or differentiates parts; compares or contrasts; examines the history of a subject; cites an anecdote to provide an example; illustrates through a scenario; provides interesting facts about the subject]; distinguishes relative importance of facts, data, and ideas; uses appropriate technical terms and notations)

11. Writes reflective compositions (e.g., uses personal experience as a basis for reflection on some aspect of life, draws abstract comparisons between specific incidents and abstract concepts, maintains a balance between describing incidents and relating them to more general abstract ideas that illustrate personal beliefs, moves from specific examples to generalizations about life)

Life Sciences

Standard 6. Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment

1. Knows how the interrelationships and interdependencies among organisms generate stable ecosystems that fluctuate around a state of rough equilibrium for hundreds or thousands of years (e.g., growth of a population is held in check by environmental factors such as depletion of food or nesting sites, increased loss due to larger numbers of predators or parasites)

5. Knows ways in which humans can alter the equilibrium of ecosystems, causing potentially irreversible effects (e.g., human population growth, technology, and consumption; human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, and atmospheric changes)

Procedures for Teachers

Introductory Activity – 20 minutes

The purpose of this activity is to pique students’ interest and to activate background knowledge on Antarctica.

  1. Divide the class into small groups. Pass out a copy of the “Antarctica Fact Quiz” handout to each group. Tell students to discuss each question and record the group’s best educated guess on the paper. After students have completed the quiz, read the questions as a class and share the answers.
    Antarctica Fact Quiz

    1. The “Dry Valleys” of Antarctica are cold and dry. How many years has it been since it rained in these regions? Answer: It has not rained in the dry valleys for at least 2 million years.
    2. The largest iceberg in recorded history broke free from the Ross ice-shelf in Antarctica in 2000. How long and how wide do you think the iceberg was? Answer: The iceberg was 183 miles long and 23 miles wide.
    3. The blue whales in Antarctica eat a tiny shrimp-like creature called krill. How many krill do you think a full-grown blue whale eats in a given day? Answer: A full-grown blue whale eats 4 million krill per day.
    4. What is the lowest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica? Answer: The lowest temperature in Antarctica was -128.60F. It was recorded at the Russian Vostok station.
    5. What is the largest LAND animal in Antarctica? Answer: The largest land animal in Antarctica is an insect, a wingless midge, Belgica antarctica, less than 1.3cm (0.5in) long.
    6. How much snow do you think the South Pole gets in a year? Answer: The South Pole receives less than 6 inches of snow a year.
    7. What was perhaps the most unexpected item that was found in the ice along the eastern coast of Antarctica? Answer: Petrified palm trees were found in the ice along the eastern coast of Antarctica.

Steps

Activity one – three class periods

In this activity, students will gather information about penguins and write a story about the daily life of a penguin from the penguin’s point of view.

  1. Tell students that they are going to write a story about the daily life of a penguin from the penguin’s point of view. Explain to students that they will gather information about penguins’ daily lives from the “Penguins of the Antarctic” NATURE program, the websites listed below, and any other available resources. Ask students to record their information in the “All About Penguins” organizer.
  2. Explain to students that they will need to include in their stories information and/or descriptions about the following topics as they pertain to Adélie penguins and Antarctica:
    • Land characteristics of the Antarctic
    • Weather
    • Breeding habits
    • Sunlight
    • Temperature
    • Predators and threats
    • Description of a change in Antarctica that is impacting their lives
    • Description of Adélie penguins
    • What Adélie penguins eat and how they get their food
  3. After students have gathered their information, but before they begin writing their stories, spend a few minutes discussing point of view with your students.
  4. You may choose to have the students share their stories with a younger class as a way of teaching them about penguins.

Activity two – two class periods

  1. As a class, take the quiz on climate change found on this site.
    http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/schools/12-16/quiz/ Provide time for students to ask questions after each quiz answer is given.
  2. Divide the class into small groups to research the impact of climate changes in Antarctica. Pass out the “Possible Impact of Climate Changes on Antarctica” organizer.
  3. Ask students to answer these questions during their research:
    • What evidence is there that climate changes are actually occurring on Antarctica?
    • What do scientists believe to be the causes of these climate changes?
    • What effect might climate changes have on Antarctica and its inhabitants?
  4. Encourage students to use a variety of sources to complete their research. The following is a list of possible Internet resources.
  5. Ask students to use the information they collected to create a “Possible Impact of Climate Changes on Antarctica” poster. Tell students that their poster must include the following:
    • Photograph or drawing
    • Quotation from a respected scientist
    • Data and or statistical information
  6. Provide time for students to share the information on their posters with the class.
]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/penguins-sensitive-indicators/lesson/179/feed/ 1 Penguins of the Antarctic: Download Penguin Wallpaper http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/download-penguin-wallpaper/184/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/download-penguin-wallpaper/184/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:01:43 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/2008/06/04/download-wallpaper-2/

Download penguin wallpaper for your desktop. PC users: Right click on the wallpaper and select “Set as Wallpaper.” Mac users: Save the image to your desktop, then select it via the Desktop tab of your Appearance control panel.

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/download-penguin-wallpaper/184/feed/ 3 Penguins of the Antarctic: Climate Change in the Antarctic http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/climate-change-in-the-antarctic/176/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/climate-change-in-the-antarctic/176/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:08:25 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/2008/06/04/climate-change-in-the-antarctic/

For the layperson, trying to understand the essence of climate change research can be exasperating — particularly when it comes to the potential impact of global warming on the Antarctic. On the one hand it is reported that the Antarctic Peninsula, which extends north toward Chile, is warming; that a massive ice shelf the size of Delaware broke off from the Larsen B peninsula in 2002, a collapse that scientists say was of a scale unprecedented in the last 12,000 years; and that significant Antarctic ice melting could result in a perhaps disastrous rise in sea levels. On the other hand research indicates that, over the last thirty-five years, the Antarctic as a whole has cooled, and that the levels of sea ice are actually increasing.

Such ostensible contradictions have been used to suggest that global warming is, in fact, not happening. Yet part of the confusion is due to the lack of a broader context that can only come from more research. According to the results of a 2004 study by NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space and Studies (GISS), the recent cooling trend is an effect of the depletion in the ozone layer over Antarctica. “In the coming decades, ozone levels are expected to recover due to international treaties that banned ozone-depleting chemicals,” states a NASA press release. Once it does, Antarctica’s cooling trend is likely to rapidly reverse. The increase in sea ice levels, meanwhile, is also the result of global warming. A 2005 satellite study funded by NASA suggests that warming of the climate has led to an increase in precipitation rates and deeper snow in the Southern Ocean, which becomes so heavy that it pushes Antarctic ice below sea level, resulting in more and thicker ice.

There is still a lot of uncertainty about what could happen to Antarctica, and this sense of doubt — about the climate in general — has been used by politicians on both the left and the right to bolster their respective positions. President George W. Bush, for instance, has declined to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, “given the incomplete state of scientific knowledge of the causes of, and solutions to, global climate change.” And in 2006, former Vice President Al Gore returned to the public eye when An Inconvenient Truth, a successful documentary film based on Gore’s lecture series about climate change, raised concerns that an immediate response to global warming was required to prevent catastrophe.

Perhaps the best a concerned nature-lover can do is turn to an outside body. According to a 2001 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an assessment panel established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a few things, at least, seem clear:

  • The Earth’s climate system has demonstrably changed on both global and regional scales since the pre-industrial era, with some of these changes attributable to human activities.

  • Emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols due to human activities continue to alter the atmosphere in ways that are expected to affect the climate.

  • More hot days and heat waves and fewer cold and frost days are very likely over nearly all land areas.

  • The projected rate and magnitude of warming and sea-level rise can be lessened by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/climate-change-in-the-antarctic/176/feed/ 3 Penguins of the Antarctic: Video: Penguin Family Reunion http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/video-penguin-family-reunion/192/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/penguins-of-the-antarctic/video-penguin-family-reunion/192/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:47:42 +0000 admin http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/?p=192 Mother penguins reunite with their mates and chicks — and celebrate survival in the harsh Antarctic climate.


media
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