Greg's trip to Antarctica
WWF-Australia's CEO Greg Bourne travelled to Antarctica to see for himself how one of the Earth's most beautiful environments is adapting to the changing climate.
Post four - Melting fast
Just off Anvers Island, a massive piece of ice-covered land as big as Tasmania, we found a little island with a nice safe cove. We couldn't understand why it wasn't on the map. The map showed that, in 1992, the spot we had sailed into was covered with 80 metres of ice. The same chart showed how much of the ice had retreated since 1963.
We saw some elephant seals who had found a new beach to socialise on. Apparently just a year before a massive ice bridge had collapsed revealing the elephant seals new sunbaking spot. Sometimes there are winners from climate change, if just short term ones.
They won't be for long, though. The loss of sea ice around the Western Antarctic Peninsula has been accompanied by a decline in the populations of Antarctic krill and ice-associated fish.
The loss of krill and fish mean, in turn, less food available for seal, seabird, penguin and whale species that are migratory or resident in the Southern Ocean.
Many scientists believe that the fate of sea ice and its relationship to the food web holds the key to the future of many species in Antarctica.
Too soon it was time to leave the tipping icebergs and dancing petrels.
Leaving on time is crucial. Unbelievably strong storms sweep through Drakes Passage every 4 to 5 days – you have to time your arrival and departures between those storms and you can't procrastinate. There is always a question about whether you will make it to shore in time.
It's not sadness you feel when it's time to go - it's wistfulness - you don't want to leave but you must.
