It's cool to be kind
Increasing marine protection in the Southern Ocean
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) —which collectively make up one of the world’s most ecologically rich, biodiverse and beautiful landscapes— are pearls of the Southern Ocean.
The uninhabited islands remain one of the world’s last great wildernesses. Bleak and barren though they first appear, with abandoned whaling stations, storm-white seas, and ice-clad peaks, they are home to an incredibly diverse mix of wildlife.
What is regarded to be the single largest concentration of marine species in the world lives within this archipelago, including more than half of the world's southern elephant seals, over four million Antarctic fur seals, the highest population of Orca and the wandering albatross. Once hunted to near extinction, blue, fin and humpback whales are now returning here in greater numbers each year, and over 100 million seabirds, including the world's largest chinstrap and macaroni penguin colonies, as well as the rare South Georgia pipit, call it home.
And though it has remained a safe haven to these creatures for so long, SGSSI now feels the effects of human activity as severely as the rest of the ocean does, with disturbances from seismic surveys, marine pollution, overfishing, and sea ice loss.
So the recent announcement of an increase in protection in the area is a great triumph in the world of marine conservation, and certainly one worth celebrating.
The UK announced an additional 166,000 km² of SGSSI’s waters —an area larger than England and Wales combined – is to be given full protection. Surmounting to 36% (up from the 23% protection first declared in 2018), the total area of ‘No Take Zones’ now amasses to 449,000km² of highly biodiverse marine habitats effectively closed to all fishing activity.
Such a notable leap in the preservation of one of the world's most crucial biodiversity hotspots comes as the result of a five-year review1. Climate data and marine ecosystem dynamics played a significant role in the decision to increase protection, specifically the return of baleen whales to the region and evidence that the climate crisis is leading to a loss of krill due to warming seas and an increase in industrial fishing.
In truth, establishing increased protection in the region is not only beneficial to the archipelago itself but to the entire ocean, as the Antarctic plays a crucial role in the functioning of our planet. For one, a NASA-supported study found that the Southern Ocean absorbs significantly more CO₂ than first thought. New research methods, which are able to test atmospheric CO₂ using airborne technology, revealed that much more CO₂ is absorbed by the Southern Ocean during summer than is released in the winter, making it an especially strong carbon sink.
A linchpin Antarctic species also adept at storing carbon is the humble krill. South of the Antarctic convergence where the temperature dramatically drops to below 2℃ (36℉), conditions are perfect for unique wildlife to thrive. Here, wind-driven upwelling propels nutrient-rich waters to the surface where the sun can reach it, allowing billions of phytoplankton2 to bloom and absorb atmospheric CO₂ as they float at the surface3. These phytoplankton also provide nourishment to the all important krill who are in turn the foundation of the Antarctic food web, forming a large percentage of the diet of Antarctic marine animals like penguins, seals, and whales. Krill that aren’t making up the calories of most animals in the Antarctic will swim to deeper waters to deposit their carbon-rich waste, which is then stored in the ocean floor.
The Antarctic also plays a vital role in Earth's global climate regulation by influencing its heat balance. This balance is the relationship between how much solar heat is absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and how much of that absorbed heat is reflected back into space. The Antarctic, by way of its ice sheet, has a much greater aptitude at reflecting heat than land or water surfaces do. As global ice cover declines, so does Earth’s ability to cool off, causing a heat imbalance and thus, a warming planet.
If all that wasn’t enough, SGSSI is a huge part of the ‘ocean conveyor belt’ too— a constantly moving global system driven by temperature and salinity. Due to its higher density, cold water sinks. The water in the Southern Ocean is especially cold and so becomes dense enough to push against the ocean floor with such force, it causes warmer waters to rise or ‘upwell’. The force of this is so strong that it helps to circulate water around the entire ocean, along with the strong winds that circumnavigate the Antarctic– keeping the world’s oceans balanced, transporting essential nutrients and, again, stabilising the climate.
Despite these unmatched contributions to the wellbeing of our ocean and our planet, SGSSI, the Southern Ocean, and the Antarctic as a whole, is at great risk. The recent increase in marine protection marks a crucial victory, but it falls short in addressing the worsening effects of the Climate Crisis. Only by adequately addressing the use of fossil fuels around the world and by challenging the fishing industry can we hope to achieve true protection for this precious region and its inhabitants. Committing to 100% protection for SGSSI is only the start.
Here at Beached we are building a community that can put our brains and resources together to highlight and fund solutions to the problems facing the Southern Ocean and its inhabitants. I hope you’ll join our humble community and click subscribe for free or support our work by purchasing the paid subscription.
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Amie 🐋
This is the second such review.
Microscopic marine algae.
These blooms can grow big enough to be seen from space!
Thank you. Beautiful pictures.
Exactly that, Maureen!