Climate change is the change in the average weather conditions of an area over a period of time. This can occur naturally through processes such as the varying energy of the sun and variation in Earth's orbit or through human influences such as the burning of fossil fuels and clear-cutting of forests. This process can have devastating consequences in all regions of the world, including the Antarctic region. Changes such as melting ice and warming oceans can negatively impact specific species and food chains, whether through reproduction, population, foraging or network trophic of Antarctica itself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Emperor penguins are a species that has been negatively affected by climate change through the process of reduction or breakup of sea ice. The melting or breakup of various types of ice creates less habitat for Antarctic species. Fast ice, which is attached to the coastline but is still able to move, allowing cracks in the ice, is important to many Antarctic mammals. Emperor penguins rely on fast ice during breeding seasons, which is also important for the success rate of penguin chick populations. If ice forms late, breaks up early, or does not form at all, the success of a breeding colony may be compromised. Emperor penguin colonies are sometimes forced to move across the ice. Warming on Emperor Island most likely necessitated the relocation of a colony due to a reduction in fast ice. But this action of movement on the fast ice does not always solve the problem of finding an ideal breeding area. Penguin breeding habitats should be some distance from predictable and profitable feeding sites. Stable coastal ice relatively close to a reliable food source is vital for the survival of emperor penguin chicks. As fast ice expands further, the success of emperor penguin colonies is threatened. Failure to meet the criteria of stable sea ice and tolerable distance from food resources can affect more than just the reproductive success of penguins in a particular season. If ideal breeding sites are not reached each year, the size of penguin colonies present will be affected. The presence of fast ice also plays a role in the success rate of penguin chicks reaching maturity. The stability of the ice on which the chicks live is essential. Mortality rates can be high if the ice breaks up too quickly. An early break-up of fast ice has been documented in Antarctica. A considerable loss of chicks was observed in 2018, during the premature break-up of the fast ice between Ross Island and the Ross Ice Shelf. Another result of chick loss can occur due to other weather conditions or natural processes. In March 2001, a piece of a mega iceberg settled at Cape Crozier, negatively impacting where emperor penguins could breed. The colony's chick population declined from 1,201 in 2000 to 0 in 200. Although this loss is the result of a natural process, climate change will continue to increase the likelihood of an increase in icebreakers. THEOcean warming has had a destructive impact on the food habits of the Southern Ocean. mammals. One type of seal that has been particularly affected by changing ocean temperatures is the crabeater seal. Crabeater seals live on the pack ice. Warming waters decrease the habitat these seals can live in, leading to their ability to forage for food. Models developed show that along the West Antarctic Peninsula, crabeater seals will need to move further away from the continental shelf break and southern limits to search for food… feeding grounds around South Shetland Island and between Bransfield Strait and the Antwerp Islands will also be reduced. Reducing the areas in which these seals can feed will likely lead to increased competition for food sources. While most seals have a varied diet, including species such as krill, fish, and squid, the diet of crabeater seals consists primarily of krill. Therefore, increased competition for food sources will have a greater effect on crabeater seals than on other seal species. The feeding habits of crabeater seals benefit them due to the change in location of their prey. These seals do not live strictly in colonies and are rather flexible in moving around to follow groups of prey among the pack ice… while simultaneously limiting their exposure to predators and being relatively close to a safe haul-out location. But with warming ocean waters leading to the subsequent formation of sea ice, these behaviors of crabeater seals may not be enough. By 2100, a delay in sea ice formation and the forecast of landlocked or potentially confined sea ice to southern waters will result in a greater distance between haulouts and feeding sites (Hückstädt et al ., 2020). This delay in sea ice formation could likely be due to warming waters occurring in our environment. However, given the distance that crabeater seals will have to travel between haulouts and feeding areas, this will increase their exposure to predators as well as a greater expenditure of energy. The delay in sea ice formation will affect not only crabeater seals, but also all southern ocean organisms that rely on sea ice and their feeding sites. Climate change isn't just affecting mammals at the top of the food chain, it's affecting the Antarctic food web at its source. Changes in the amount of sea ice affect phytoplankton growth production and result in a flow-on effect on other species. In recent decades, reduction of ice in the West Antarctic Peninsula has led to the appearance of deeper mixed layers, which has resulted in decreased irradiation, thereby reducing phytoplankton biomass, size and productivity . A decrease in the availability of phytoplankton plays a vital role in reducing krill populations, as phytoplankton is their food source. The krill population suffers other adverse consequences in this new and changing environment. Ocean acidification, increasing sea temperatures and decreasing sea ice can also worsen negative population impacts. As krill populations decline, it is predictable that species that feed on krill will be negatively affected. A reduction in populations of chinstrap and Adélie penguins has been observed.