Antarctic Krill Populations Down 80% Since The 1970s

[hatrack]

EDIT

Krill live in the open ocean, mainly in large swarms and reach particularly high numbers in Antarctica. The migrations that they perform ( called Diel Vertical Migrations, DVM ) are a way of transporting carbon to the ocean's interior because they eat phytoplankton at the surface and excrete their waste at depth. Antarctic krill can grow up to a length of 6cm and can live for 5-6 years. They are one of the largest protein resources on Earth and can be fished easily with large nets for human consumption. There is enough Antarctic krill to fill the total volume of the new Wembley stadium 1500 times. Spread out on the floor, they would cover the entire area of Scotland. The total weight of Antarctic krill is calculated between 50-150 million tonnes.

The krill migrate from the ocean surface by fanning out their swimming legs and enter a controlled descent, akin to parachuting. The behaviour is most apparent when their stomachs are full and may be an effective means of getting out of harms way when they can eat no more.

Numbers of Antarctic krill have dropped by about 80% since the 1970's. The most likely explanation is a dramatic decline in winter sea-ice. Krill feed on the algae found under the surface of the sea-ice, which acts as a kind of 'nursery'. The Antarctic Peninsula, a key breeding ground for the krill, has warmed by 2.5°C in the last 50 years, with a striking decrease in sea-ice. It is not fully understood how the loss of sea-ice there is connected to the warming, but could be behind the decline in krill.

The study was carried out aboard the British Antarctic Survey ship RRS James Clark Ross from December 2004 – January 2005 around the islands of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. The krill were caught with nets and transferred to tanks for observations. The tanks were continuously supplied with water ( and therefore food ) from the sea surface.

EDIT

http://presszoom.com/story_113891.html

[rodeodance]

1. kick. i saw a show on pbs a bit ago on this. warning sign!

[phantom power]

2. We are all karma's bitch, now.

(no, my name is not Earl)

[NNadir]

3. This should have a happy effect on Sperm Whales.

It gets more terrifying by the hour.

[OneBlueSky]

4. one huge canary in the coal mine of humanity . . . n/t

.

[Village Idiot]

5. Wow! I guess the only solution is to kill more whales, then?