Setting the agenda in research Comment SHARPSHOOTERS/VW PICS/UIG/GETTY Humans, marine mammals, penguins and other seabirds coexist on the Antarctic Peninsula alongside ships and buildings. Protect the Antarctic Peninsula — before it’s too late Carolyn J. Hogg, Mary-Anne Lea, Marga Gual Soler, Valeri N. Vasquez, Ana Payo-Payo, Marissa L. Parrott, M. Mercedes Santos, Justine Shaw & Cassandra M. Brooks Banning fishing in warming mong the windswept glaciers and This delicate and iconic ecosystem is in peril. icebergs of the western Antarctic The western Antarctic Peninsula (the north- coastal waters and limiting Peninsula is an oasis of life. Threat- ernmost part of the continent) is one of the tourism and construction ened humpback and minke whales fastest-warming places on Earth. In February, on land will help to protect patrol the waters. Fish, squid and temperatures there reached a record 20.75 °C, Aseals swim alongside noisy colonies of with an average daily temperature that was marine mammals and chinstrap, Adélie and gentoo penguins 2 °C higher than the means for the preceding seabirds. on the shore. It’s a complex web of life. All 70 years1. Most of the region’s glaciers are these species feed on small, shrimp-like receding. And sea ice is dwindling — spring crustaceans called Antarctic krill. And many 2016 saw it retreat to the smallest extent since are themselves prey for leopard seals, killer satellite records began in the 1970s. If carbon whales and predatory seabirds such as skuas emissions keep climbing, in 50 years’ time, the and giant petrels. area covered by sea ice will have halved and 496 | Nature | Vol 586 | 22 October 2020 ©2020 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All rights reserved. ©2020 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All rights reserved. the volume of ice shelves will have shrunk by mammals. That makes it hard to manage one-quarter2. fisheries in ways that protect the whole Heavy fishing is depleting parts of the ecosystem, especially in a warming climate. region of the main food source, krill. The Precaution is therefore paramount. And much Voyage to the waters around the peninsula are home to more needs to be learnt. 70% of the world’s Antarctic krill, the larvae of peninsula which shelter in the sea ice3. Their loss means Tourism. The peninsula is the most-visited hunger for many species. It even alters bio- region in Antarctica (see ‘Voyage to the A trip of a lifetime conveys the need for geochemical systems in the ocean, including peninsula’). It’s close to South America and leadership. the carbon cycle3. Krill feed on phytoplank- has dramatic scenery and an abundance of ton — microscopic marine algae that extract wildlife. Tourist numbers have doubled in the Women are noticeably absent in carbon from the atmosphere. The krill excrete past decade — more than 74,000 people visited Antarctica’s history, which is steeped in pellets containing carbon and other nutrients, last year. Some popular sites receive around tales of male heroism. Female scientists including fluoride, calcium and phosphorus, 20,000 visitors per season. These include the are still a minority in the region’s research which are energy sources for a myriad of picturesque Neko Harbour, where glaciers and stations. This needs to change if we are to microorganisms3. whales abound, and Port Lockroy, which has a mitigate the many threats our planet faces. With human activity and construction also gentoo penguin colony and a post office. The signatories to this article rising, the region’s precious biodiversity is at Unlike the rest of Antarctica, where one-third participated in a global initiative called risk of being destroyed4. Preventive measures of the land remains unvisited, the peninsula Homeward Bound, which aims to must be taken immediately, on sea and on land. has no large areas left that are untouched elevate the voices of women in science, The first step is to protect the rich seas by humans6. Ships pollute the ocean with technology, engineering, mathematics around the Antarctic Peninsula. A proposal to microplastics, oils and engine noise. Between and medicine as leaders to influence how make them a marine protected area (MPA) is 1981 and 2011, at least 19 vessels ran aground policies and decisions are made for the being discussed over the next two weeks by the and released oil. Ships can also introduce inva- future of our planet. So far, 437 women Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic sive species, such as mussels, predatory sea from 41 countries have joined the year-long Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a group stars and smothering algae, which can compete programme. It culminates in a three-week of governments that collectively manage the with or prey on native species. voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula, to Southern Ocean’s resources. We urge them to witness the impacts of climate change on act now. “Nations need to limit the the continent at first hand. For some of us, it was the first time we had had three weeks Mounting risks size and footprints of their to ourselves since becoming a scientist, Four main factors threaten the Antarctic research sites in Antarctica.” mother or leader. Peninsula’s ecosystems. Antarctica is an inspiring backdrop. It is impossible not to be moved by its beauty Fishing. Krill fisheries in the Southern Ocean Guidelines for cruise ships and tourists as the ship drifts past icebergs covered in have been growing for decades, to meet rising visiting the region are provided by the penguins and the odd sleeping leopard demand for omega-3 dietary supplements and International Association of Antarctica seal, humpback whales feeding on swarms fishmeal. Almost 400,000 tonnes of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), a self-regulating of krill, or groaning glaciers. But as our krill were caught in 2019 — the third-largest association that advocates for safe and envi- trip made clear, this wilderness is fragile krill catch in history, a volume not seen since ronmentally responsible travel. IAATO restricts and requires protection — and that is the the 1980s. More than 90% was caught around the number of daily visitors to each landing responsibility of us all. the Antarctic Peninsula. The catch there has location: a maximum of 100 people from a tripled since 2000, from 88,800 to 289,500 vessel can be ashore at any one time. No waste Research infrastructure. Visiting scientists tonnes in 2018. should be left, souvenirs taken or animals dis- can also damage Antarctica’s environment. As sea ice retreats from warming northern turbed. However, only IAATO members must The peninsula has the highest concentration of waters, the krill move south, attracting more comply. Increasing numbers of unregulated research stations on the continent — 18 nations vessels to penguin and marine-mammal vessels are arriving carrying large numbers of have science facilities there, covering fields foraging grounds. Even small catches can tourists. from space physics to geoscience, wildlife be harmful at a sensitive time and place5. For Mechanisms to reduce these impacts are monitoring and climate research. The example, fishing near colonies of breeding needed. IAATO is supporting a project to researchers are attracted for the same reasons penguins hampers their foraging and repro- gather evidence to better manage tourism, that the region is so biodiverse — accessible ductive success. Humpback whales migrate science and biodiversity on the peninsula, floes of sea ice shift through the seasons, and to krill-rich waters to feed before moving expected to be completed next year. This much of the land is ice-free. north to breed — finding little to eat there also initiative is in partnership with the Scientific Buildings and infrastructure displace wild- reduces their ability to reproduce. Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), life and vegetation. Aircraft noise disturbs Impacts of fishing are difficult to track in an organization that coordinates interna- penguins, other seabirds and seals that such a remote place. Little is known about tional research in Antarctica. More remains congregate on the peninsula to breed and the status of many Southern Ocean spe- to be done, however, including reducing the moult. Associated with these human activities, cies, including many seabirds and marine impacts of ships. land and coastlines next to research stations are Nature | Vol 586 | 22 October 2020 | 497 ©2020 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All rights reserved. ©2020 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All rights reserved. Comment polluted by hydrocarbons, metals, fire retard- General protection ants and microbial pollution from wastewater. zones. Fishing bans protect species Krill fishery zone. Nations need to limit the size and footprints reliant on sea ice. Limited catch of their research sites in Antarctica. There have permitted. been several new infrastructure projects in the area6. Brazil reconstructed its Comandante Ferraz research station that had been destroyed by fire, doubling its size in the process. And South the United Kingdom is expanding the wharf Shetland and stabilizing the coast near its Rothera sta- Islands tion. Elsewhere, Australia is planning to build a 2.7-kilometre-long concrete runway in East Comandante Antarctica. And China is building a research sta- Ferraz station tion on Inexpressible Island in Terra Nova Bay. Esperanza station Climate change. Global warming threatens to Drake Weddell Passage unravel the ecosystem of the entire Southern Sea Ocean. Its impacts are especially insidious off the Antarctic Peninsula, where species such as penguins, seals, whales and krill are struggling to cope with the loss of sea ice. Warmer weather makes penguins more prone to diseases. And Heavy krill fishing reduces heavy rains or unseasonal snowfall can chill food for wildlife. N birds, kill chicks and bury nests and eggs. Graham Other species are moving in. Small sea-squirts Land or tunicates called salps (Salpidae)2, which are less nutritious than krill, have become twice 20,000 people visit Neko Harbour to as common as they were in the 1920s.