Sharks. (Sharks?) Sharks.
February 19th, 2008 by Matt
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? The bad, you say? Okay, here goes (courtesy of LiveScience.com):
It’s been 40 million years since Antarctic waters were warm enough for sharks to lurk around and feed on polar prey, but rising ocean temperatures from global warming could eventually bring the toothy predators back, a new study suggests.
Biologists at the University of Rhode Island analyzed the physiological adaptations and metabolism of sharks and other warm-water predators. Their findings indicate that a warming of just a few degrees in Antarctic waters could make the region hospitable to these species again, with potentially serious consequences to the ecosystems already dwelling there.
Basically, the fact that this could happen is ridiculous. That is, it’s ridiculous that we’re damaging our ecosystem so badly that this might happen. For the aforementioned to happen, the Antarctic agua just needs to stay above 32 degrees Fahrenheit around the clock. So, here’s the bad news: “The waters around the Antarctic Peninsula have increased by about 1.8 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 2 degrees Celsius) in the last 50 years, which is double to triple the global average increase.”
The good news? You’re ready for the good news? Here goes….
[Scientists] don’t believe that the arrival of sharks in Antarctic waters would lead to widespread species extinction, but they could lead to dramatic changes in population numbers and the proportions of species found there. Shrimp, ribbon worms and brittle stars would likely be the most vulnerable species, the researchers report.
The upshot?
- We’re still polluting the hell out of the earth; we’re still jacking up ye old global warming.
- In this single case, it might not literally be the end of the world.
But let’s not start high-fiving ourselves just yet. We need to do some things. We owe it: it has become our pound of flesh. Click here to read all about what we ought to do (and pronto).
Photo c/o this dude.
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