Antarctica helps regulate our planet’s temperature and oceans
Antarctica plays a significant role in maintaining the planet’s heat balance. Ice being much more reflective than land or water, the massive Antarctic ice sheet helps deflect some of the sun’s rays away from the Earth, keeping temperatures livable.
The waters around Antarctica also play a significant role in the ‘ocean conveyor belt’. Its cold and incredibly dense waters force warmer water to rise or upwell. This upwelling is so strong it moves water across the entire planet. Without it, Earth’s waters would become imbalanced and struggle to circulate efficiently.
Antarctic krill are carbon-storing powerhouses and the cornerstone of the Antarctic food web
Antarctica’s waters are also home to one of the most fundamental species to the Antarctic food web – the Antarctic krill. These shrimp-like creatures are the primary food source for countless species, including penguins, seals, and whales. To top it off, Antarctic krill are carbon-storing powerhouses – with reports revealing that krill in the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea have the capacity to sink 23 megatonnes of carbon annually. In fact we are only just learning about the potential role krill play in climate change.
Countless wildlife depend on Antarctica’s water for survival
Of the world's 18 penguin species, half are found only within the Southern Ocean. Antarctica’s waters also provide critical habitat and feeding grounds for 80-90% of the world's whale species, including the humpback whale, which is only now recovering from being hunted to the brink of extinction.
Protecting Antarctic giants
By partnering with First Peoples, governments, industry and coastal communities to achieve impact at scale to protect seascapes and Saltwater Country.
Safeguarding blue corridors to protect existing whale populations and connect their critical habitats and migration corridors.
By increasing local, regional, federal and global-level advocacy to enable more robust frameworks and calling on the Australian Government to play their part in protecting whales – within Australia and its surrounding waters such as the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
