Not So Happy Feet: Marine Animals Are Threatened
by Environmental Changes

By Cynthia Gutierrez O'Connell, CSI Alternate Board member
and student at Conard High School in West Hartford, CT.

Many kids were thrilled to watch the animated film "Happy Feet" and the dancing penguins really brought a laugh to a lot of people. But the movie also had important messages contained in it. The penguins had to face the fact that humans were challenging them for their food source (fish) and also that people were leaving lots of garbage behind in Antarctica, messing up the pristine environment there. Unfortunately, the film had it right. Penguins (and polar bears, whales and dolphins) are all being threatened by human activities, and things are only going to get worse unless we do something about it.

Global warming is a main threat to the health of marine mammals. Cetaceans depend on a special balance of the ecosystems in which they live. A major change in ocean temperatures will definitely affect the habitats that these animals live in. The rising ocean temperature could also be made worse by the fact that if polar waters melt, more fresh water will enter the ecosystem, and change it dramatically. The fish and krill species that marine mammals need to feed on will move to new areas or even disappear, especially in polar feeding grounds.

For example, polar bears need the Arctic sea ice to live. They hunt on the ice shelf and give birth to calves. Scientists are now saying that almost 80% of the Arctic sea ice can be gone by the year 2025. More and more polar bears are looking for food as they cannot get access to their traditional food sources as the ice has melted. Fewer cubs are being born, and a lot of bears are drowning as they try to swim farther and farther to feed. Scientists are predicting that by the second half of this century, all of the Arctic summer sea ice could disappear.

Whales are also threatened by climate change. The bowhead whale, the narwhal and the beluga are especially at risk, because they are species that like polar bears stay only in Arctic waters where climate change has been happening most rapidly and dramatically. The northern Bering Sea, where whales and walruses have historically been found, has had a sea temperature rise of 3 degrees Celsius, according to the New Scientist magazine. Because of this the entire Bering ecosystem is endangered. Bowhead whales, already endangered, are in graver danger than ever.

Human beings have had a major impact on the earth's climate. Since the 1800s we have been burning increasing amounts of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. This produces large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Add in deforestation and global warming gets worse. Species of butterflies and frogs are disappearing, and scientists say that mass extinctions of many species, not just marine mammals, will likely happen in my generation's lifetime.

So, you might wonder, is there anything that can be done? And the answer is yes! We need to change how we live and think about what we do. Below is a checklist of stuff that you can do to help:

• First, save electricity! When we use electricity we put CO₂ gases into the air. Turn off lights, the tv, and your computer if you aren't using them. Change to new energy saving light bulbs.
• Plant a tree! Trees help to absorb CO₂. But try and make sure that the tree you plant is a native species to where you live.
• Forget the car! Walk, bicycle or take the bus. If you do have to take a car, carpool.
• Recycle cans, bottles and newspapers! This helps to save natural resources.
• Join an environmental group! Groups like CSI work to protect the environment by educating people. CSI also helps to make sure that environmental laws are as tough as possible.