{"id":22950,"date":"2015-08-17T14:45:06","date_gmt":"2015-08-17T18:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=22950"},"modified":"2021-11-10T16:40:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T20:40:35","slug":"accident-of-geography-brings-rare-galapagos-penguin-back-from-the-brink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/accident-of-geography-brings-rare-galapagos-penguin-back-from-the-brink.htm","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAccident Of Geography\u201d Brings Rare Galapagos Penguin Back From The Brink"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the 1980s, the Galapagos penguin \u2014 already the rarest penguin in the world due to its range being limited to the archipelago that bares its name \u2014 experienced a startling decline, its population dropping by 70 percent. <\/p>\n

Three decades later, however, global climate change has altered trade winds and ocean currents around the island chain, providing coincidentally ideal conditions for the penguin population to double.<\/p>\n

A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution examined satellite data from the past 30 years to determine how a conflux of unusual oceanic and atmospheric events brought in cool, nutrient-rich water to the islands and led to the Galapagos penguin\u2019s resurgence. The results of the study are published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.<\/p>\n

Kristopher Karnauskas, lead author of the paper and WHOI climate scientist, spent a decade studying how the Galapagos Islands influence currents and climate throughout the tropical Pacific, and noticed a growing cold patch of water while investigating surface temperature data in the region. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most fascinating coincidences I\u2019ve ever come across is that the Galapagos Archipelago is in just the right location, and just about the right size, to block the path of a very important underwater current called the Equatorial Undercurrent,\u201d Karnauskas said. <\/p>\n

Comparing the effects of that interaction to an airstream encountering a mountain on land, Karnauskas said that the islands deflect some of that current upward, bringing in cooler water capable of supporting a robust marine ecosystem. <\/p>\n

\"Just

Just over 1,000 Galapagos penguins call the archipelago home today \u2014 up from only a few hundred in the 1980s. (Credit: NASA)<\/p><\/div>\n

Examining data from 1982 forward, Karnauskas found that trends indicated a shift in the undercurrent that could have major implications for terrestrial life in the area. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy inclination was to walk across campus to the biology department and talk to one of my good friends and colleagues who also happens to be a world-renowned seabird researcher,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Population data on the penguins showed that while their numbers dwindled to only a few hundred in the 1980s \u2014 the result of a strong El Ni\u00f1o \u2014 they exceeded 1,000 individuals by 2014. This finding coaligned with Karnauskas\u2019 research, which showed that the cold pool surrounding the archipelago has expanded north by 35 kilometers throughout the three decades covered in the study period. <\/p>\n

The expansion likely brought more algae \u2014 and therefore more fish \u2014 to the region, supporting a greater number of penguins on the islands. Karnauskas also noted that the expansion of the cold pool is consistent with trends in the Equatorial Undercurrent reported between 1871 and 2008, and with future projections from global climate model simulations. <\/p>\n

\"A

A study from WHOI examined satellite data from the past 30 years to determine how a conflux of unusual oceanic and atmospheric events led to the Galapagos penguin\u2019s resurgence. (Credit: Snowmanradio \/ Flickr)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSometimes in science, you\u2019re just surprised when you\u2019re actually able to make sense of things,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Although Karnauskas admits that three decades provides a relatively short dataset to determine whether these trends are actually connected to anthropogenic climate change, he says that putting the data in context with other long-term trends offers a greater degree of confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cNonetheless,\u201d he noted, \u201cwe cannot be sure this trend will not reverse a decade or two from now.\u201d <\/p>\n

While the satellite and atmospheric data helped the researchers connect trends in the currents\u2019 upwelling to the penguin resurgence, Karnauskas said that a collaboration with researchers conducting \u201con-the-ground\u201d studies could provide even more useful insights. <\/p>\n

The study\u2019s findings could help resource managers better develop marine protected areas to conserve the rare penguins, as they illustrate how serendipitous shifts in ocean circulation can give efforts in the region a greater chance of success.<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s exciting to see a species come back from the brink of extinction, Karnauskas warned that the study shouldn\u2019t be used as evidence for an \u201cupside\u201d to global warming. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis quirky setup of an ocean current getting stronger, running into an island and feeding the penguins is just a coincidence \u2014 an accident of geography,\u201d he said. \u201cOther factors such as ocean acidification may well trump the undercurrent.\u201d <\/p>\n

Top image:\u00a0The Galapagos penguin is the second smallest penguin and the rarest in the world. (Credit: Aquaimages)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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