11-03-2004, 02:18 PM
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Dracolich 
Join Date: January 24, 2004
Location: UK
Age: 42
Posts: 3,092
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Just to tie in with the recent raft of climate change stories.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3979833.stm
Quote:
Antarctic food web under pressure
Krill, a major component in the diets of many Antarctic species such as whales, penguins and seals, appears to be undergoing a major decline.
Since the 1970s, numbers of the shrimp-like creatures have fallen by 80% in waters near the Antarctic Peninsula, UK scientists tell Nature magazine.
The crustacean feeds on algae under the ice so the fall may be linked to recent warming that has reduced sea-ice cover.
The change could have a big impact on the whole Southern Ocean food web.
"Krill are a central species [to this] web; they are a major food item for species such as penguins, seals, albatrosses and whales," Dr Angus Atkinson, from British Antarctic Survey, told BBC News.
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