Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 15:03
Forums
Oden Antarctic Expedition 08

Hey there! This is Molly from camp (CIT 3 this summer! yay!) and I'm happy that you're having fun. It looks so beautiful there! I was wondering if you've seen any effects that global warming has had on Antarctica.

Well, have a great time and stay warm! Post lots of pictures!

MollySmile 

Tue, 12/16/2008 - 10:10

Jeff Peneston

Molly!
I am glad that some of my Camp Talooli friends are enjoying my adventure and reading my journals.  
The effects of global warming are hard to see when you visit a place just once.  We know from historical data that there is less sea ice in the Amundsen Sea in the last few years and that there is quite a bit less sea ice along Antarctica’s Palmer Peninsula.  Because of this, the animals that depend on the sea ice for habitat and for the algae that lives in the ice are responding.  Along the Peninsula, some of the penguin colonies are moving.  The ones that like sea ice are moving South and they are being replaced by ones that prefer rocky coastlines.  
The best answer to your question is that the scientists don’t know what affects global warming is having here.  That is why they have come.  We need to measure what “normal” looks like so that we can recognize change when we see it.
I hope you continue to read my journals and post more questions for me!
Making memories in the ice,
Jeff