Protecting East Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

In addition to millions of penguins, East Antarctica is home to sea spiders the size of dinner plates, bright jelly fish, and other bottom dwelling sea creatures that make the waters resemble a coral reef.

For millions of years, this mosaic of marine life has been kept isolated from the outside world because of circumpolar currents. Unfortunately, concentrated fishing, climate change, and other threats are taking a toll on Antarctica.

CCAMLR, the world’s governing body for Southern Ocean conservation, is currently reviewing long overdue protections in the area. Up for consideration are new marine protected areas in East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Learn more about protecting Antarctica’s Southern Ocean: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/p....rojects/protecting-a


TRANSCRIPT:
Surrounded by icy waters, whipped by wind, this harsh landscape doesn’t seem like a suitable place for life.

But tell that to this Adelie penguin or the estimated 6 million others that call East Antarctica home.

Or to the legion of emperor penguins lined up for miles across the icy landmass, making their journey to sea.

Diving underneath the ice reveals a thriving sea life that reminds us there is so much left of our ocean to explore.

And explore is just what these Weddell seals are doing, carving new paths in the icy corridors, shaking the stillness with their song.

The deeper you dive, the more diverse life is.

Fluid fluttering of jellyfish tendrils give way to a field of sea feathers, where we witness the dogged determination of this large scallop.
Dimensions are distorted in the Southern Ocean.

A phenomenon called Polar gigantism means that normally small animals are quite large.

Like this sea spider the size of a dinner plate.

Expectations are challenged too. Familiar looking species are found in an unfamiliar place.

Plant-like creatures here are actually animals. And these animals make this part of the Southern Ocean look like a tropical reef.

But surprisingly, most of the animals here are found nowhere else on earth.

For millions of years, this mosaic of marine life has been kept isolated from the outside world because of circumpolar currents.

These powerful currents block warmer waters from entering and prevent Antarctic larvae from leaving the region, creating an environment that is truly one of a kind.

And nutrient upwellings from the deep cold bottom waters around Antarctica nourish far away seas.

So despite its isolation, we all depend on the Southern Ocean and we all have an impact on it.

Climate change, concentrated fishing and other threats are taking a toll on this region, which is one of the fastest warming places on the planet.

Climate change here means that ice sheets are changing, increasing the distance between these penguins and their food source, one contributing factor to the massive chick die offs in recent years.

Its not just penguins that are in trouble, the southern ocean currents play a role in climate regulation. And disruptions to that that could affect all of us.

Its one of the many reasons the world needs to come together to safeguard the Southern Ocean.

In 2018, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources or CCAMLR, is considering three new marine protected areas, including one in the waters surrounding East Antarctica, a step that would help the region build resilience against climate change.

The proposal would protect foraging and breeding grounds for these penguins and all other species that call this place home.

It would also serve as a critical step toward fulfilling a bold promise CCAMLR made in 2011. To build a network of marine protected areas that will have impacts in this region and beyond.

It’s time to make good on that promise.

It’s time to protect East Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.