An extensive survey of marine and terrestrial life in the South Orkney Islands, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, has catalogued 1,224 species in 50 biological classes, greater than the biodiversity in the Galapagos Islands. The study, conducted by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Hamburg, used nets to sample life nearly a mile under the Southern Ocean and discovered five new marine species, including a new form of louse and a moss-covered animal. Land-breeding species of the South Orkneys, such as chinstrap penguins and fur seals, have been well documented, but the recent survey showed the great diversity of life in these frigid waters. The scientists said that the study, published in the Journal of Biogeography, provides a baseline of species diversity as the region undergoes rapid warming and organisms begin to shift their ranges. The northern Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than anywhere on earth, with mid-winter temperatures increasing in some places by 9° F over the past 60 years.
Antarctic Islands’ Diversity Greater Than in Galapagos, Study Shows
More From E360
-
Cities
‘Sponge City’: How Copenhagen Is Adapting to a Wetter Future
-
INTERVIEW
On Controlling Fire, New Lessons from a Deep Indigenous Past
-
Solutions
Paying the People: Liberia’s Novel Plan to Save Its Forests
-
OPINION
Forest Service Plan Threatens the Heart of an Alaskan Wilderness
-
INTERVIEW
Pakistan’s Solar Revolution Is Bringing Power to the People
-
Food & Agriculture
In Uganda, Deadly Landslides Force an Agricultural Reckoning
-
Energy
Why U.S. Geothermal May Advance, Despite Political Headwinds
-
Food & Agriculture
In War Zones, a Race to Save Key Seeds Needed to Feed the World
-
Climate
Lightning Strikes the Arctic: What Will It Mean for the Far North?
-
RIVERS
A Win for Farmers and Tribes Brings New Hope to the Klamath
-
Solutions
Deconstructing Buildings: The Quest for New Life for Old Wood
-
NATURAL DEFENSES
How Restored Wetlands Can Protect Europe from Russian Invasion