New study reveals how Antarctic seals are responding to shifts in Antarctic sea ice and what long term changes could mean for their future survival.
New study reveals how Antarctic seals are responding to shifts in Antarctic sea ice and what long term changes could mean for their future survival.
A new study of Antarctic seals shows that environmental conditions are leading to a severe decline in their populations in the South Orkney Islands. New results are published today (Wednesday 18 June) in the journal Global Change Biology and show how seals depend on sea ice for their survival.
Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have been monitoring seal numbers in the sub-Antarctic on Signy Island, in the South Orkney Islands, since the 1970s. Now, thanks to nearly five decades of consistent seal counts and satellite sea ice data, they’ve been able to validate predictions about how sea ice conditions shape seal habitat – offering a powerful tool for forecasting what lies ahead.
Read more at: British Antarctic Survey
A Weddell seal. (Photo Credit: Michael Dunn, BAS.)
