Climate change threat to Antarctic whales

Whales in the Southern Ocean face the twin threat of a shortage of food and a loss of hunting grounds because of global warming, a new report warns.

The rise in temperature predicted over the next 40 years will lead to a drop in winter sea-ice coverage of Antarctic waters of up to 30 per cent in some key whale areas.

Krill, the fundamental food which underpins the entire Southern Ocean ecosystem, thrives in the sea ice and any loss will reduce the amount of food available not only to whales but to fish, seals, seabirds and penguins as well.

As the ice retreats migratory whales, such as the Blue whale and the humpback, will have to travel hundreds of miles further south each year to find the foraging grounds crucial to their survival.

Telegraph