{"id":149310,"date":"2019-09-10T12:50:20","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T16:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?p=149310"},"modified":"2019-09-30T16:19:28","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T20:19:28","slug":"understanding-change-in-the-antarctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/publications\/aboard-gso\/issues\/summer-2019\/understanding-change-in-the-antarctic\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Change in the Antarctic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><section class=\"cl-wrapper cl-hero-wrapper\"><div class=\"cl-hero super   cl-has-accessibility-controls\"><div class=\"cl-hero-proper\"><div class=\"overlay\"><div class=\"block\"><h1>Understanding Change in the Antarctic<\/h1><\/div><\/div><div class=\"still\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037.jpg);\"><\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-controls-container\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-controls\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-icon\" title=\"Accessibility controls\">Accessibility controls<\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control cl-accessibility-motion-control cl-accessibility-control-hidden\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-default\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-button\" title=\"Pause motion\">Pause motion<\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-label\">Motion: <span class=\"cl-accessibility-syntax\">On<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-alternate\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-button\" title=\"Play motion\">Play motion<\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-label\">Motion: <span class=\"cl-accessibility-syntax\">Off<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control cl-accessibility-contrast-control\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-default\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-button\" title=\"Increase text contrast\">Increase text contrast<\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-label\">Contrast: <span class=\"cl-accessibility-syntax\">Standard<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-alternate\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-button\" title=\"Reset text contrast\">Reset text contrast<\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-control-label\">Contrast: <span class=\"cl-accessibility-syntax\">High<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-system-setting\"><div class=\"cl-accessibility-toggle\" title=\"Apply my preferences site-wide\"><\/div><div class=\"cl-accessibility-toggle-label\">Apply site-wide<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fullwidth\">\n<div class=\"type-intro\">\nThe Antarctic Peninsula is warming significantly faster than the global average, which is already leading to profound changes to the region\u2019s food web.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-149310 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[149310]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1680\" height=\"1120\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Curious king penguins investigate the gear used to take sediment cores from ponds around penguin colonies. Cores help reconstruct the occupation history of penguins and seals.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-148968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037.jpg 1680w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037-364x243.jpg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-___DSC_0037-1280x853.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1680px) 100vw, 1680px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-148968'>\n\t\t\t\tCurious king penguins investigate the gear used to take sediment cores from ponds around penguin colonies. Cores help reconstruct the occupation history of penguins and seals.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[149310]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1128\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Lights of the Ocean Endeavor shimmer as the expedition team returns to the ship after an evening identifying humpback and southern right whales in Cierva Cove, Antarctic Peninsula.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-148974\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445-768x481.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445-1024x642.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445-364x228.jpg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445-500x313.jpg 500w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445-1000x627.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__20190306_203445-1280x802.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-148974'>\n\t\t\t\t Lights of the Ocean Endeavor shimmer as the expedition team returns to the ship after an evening identifying humpback and southern right whales in Cierva Cove, Antarctic Peninsula.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[149310]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Professor McMahon stops for a selfie while guiding guests back to the zodiacs after a great day of observing penguins in their natural habitat on Carcass Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-148971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29-364x273.jpg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__29-1280x960.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-148971'>\n\t\t\t\tProfessor McMahon stops for a selfie while guiding guests back to the zodiacs after a great day of observing penguins in their natural habitat on Carcass Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[149310]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1728\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"The Antarctic food web in action: a 3-meter-long leopard seal seeks its next meal\u2014an unlucky macaroni penguin entering the waters of Royal Harbor, South Georgia Island.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-148977\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273.jpg 1728w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273-364x243.jpg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__IMG_9273-1280x853.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1728px) 100vw, 1728px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-148977'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Antarctic food web in action: a 3-meter-long leopard seal seeks its next meal\u2014an unlucky macaroni penguin entering the waters of Royal Harbor, South Georgia Island.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[149310]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1133\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"A black-browed albatross feeds its chick with a regurgitated mixture of fish, squid and krill that it foraged from the productive waters around the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-148980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3.jpg 1700w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3-364x243.jpg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3-1000x666.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-__Kat-Brinsley3-1280x853.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-148980'>\n\t\t\t\tA black-browed albatross feeds its chick with a regurgitated mixture of fish, squid and krill that it foraged from the productive waters around the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693.jpg' rel=\"lightbox[149310]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1130\" src=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"A whale\u2019s tail signals an imminent deep dive, potentially to 100 meters or more in search of krill and small fish, in the frigid waters of Cierva Cove, Antarctic Peninsula.\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-148983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693-768x482.jpg 768w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693-1024x643.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693-364x229.jpg 364w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693-500x314.jpg 500w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693-1000x628.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Copy-of-_NickySouness-0693-1280x804.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-148983'>\n\t\t\t\tA whale\u2019s tail signals an imminent deep dive, potentially to 100 meters or more in search of krill and small fish, in the frigid waters of Cierva Cove, Antarctic Peninsula.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>In February, GSO professor Kelton McMahon participated in an Antarctic research cruise as part of a multi-year project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal: to study how the Southern Ocean food web has responded to environmental changes in the past, and predict how the ecosystem might respond to a changing climate in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Penguins play a pivotal role in Dr. McMahon\u2019s research. The charismatic creatures serve as sentinel species for environmental change, and they occupy a central node in the Southern Ocean food web, recording geochemical clues about diet and migration patterns in their tissues. Dr. McMahon spent three weeks in the Antarctic gathering samples of penguin feathers and eggshells and conducted paleontological excavations to collect penguin feathers and eggshells that are hundreds to thousands of years old.<\/p>\n<p>Now Dr. McMahon is working with his students at the newly built Ocean Ecogeochemistry Laboratory at GSO to compare the isotope values of modern penguin tissues to historic museum archives and ancient excavated samples. With his national and international research partners, Dr. McMahon will use these data to test hypotheses about how both historic whaling in the 1800s and early 1900s and rapid warming in the past century have altered the food web structure and population dynamics of Antarctic penguins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; The Antarctic Peninsula is warming significantly faster than the global average, which is already leading to profound changes to the region\u2019s food web. &nbsp; In February, GSO professor Kelton McMahon participated in an Antarctic research cruise as part of a multi-year project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal: to study how [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1726,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2388],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summer-2019"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149310"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":150021,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149310\/revisions\/150021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}