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Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Play> *Own This Song* mp3 *Cold Fish To Fry* is a song I’d really like to write – about how we really need those arctic and antarctic fish that need cold water, and that they are gonna die (and fry) if it gets too hot. Help write the song if you are a musician, or sponsor the song if you are a non-musician. The pics right are some of the animals that count on the artic fish and will probably get a say in the song. Excerpts from: Antarctic fish threatened by climate change by By Clinton Wang In the Antarctic, fish adapted to the very cold waters with antifreeze proteins to help them survive. Hundreds of species there evolved after a period of rapid cooling tens of millions of years ago. You might expect temperature changes resulting in mass die offs and adaptions would be large, but in some cases even small temperature changes can cause large impacts. Research conducted at Yale University indicates even a two degree increase in Antarctic waters could lead to extinction of local fish. “Tens of millions of years ago, rapid cooling in the Antarctic led to the mass extinction of fish acclimated to warmer temperatures, with the surviving fish developing antifreeze proteins. The study shows that new species arose as the fish adapted to fill the ecological gaps left by the extinction. This process eventually gave rise to the 100 species of fish now living in Antarctic waters, which all possess the ability to withstand cold temperatures. But Near said that these polar adaptations have rendered Antarctic fish unusually sensitive to warmer water temperatures, making climate change a dire threat to Antarctica’s fish populations. A decline in the fish population would cripple the rest of the ecosystem by removing a major food source for penguins and seals, he added. Sarah Gille ’88, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said that even small temperature changes in certain regions near Antarctica could allow the influx of invasive species more adapted to warmer water. She added that Antarctic waters were by no means the only ecosystem threatened by climate change. “Species and ecosystems evolve over tens of millions of years in response to changing environmental conditions,” Gille said. “The concern about modern climate change is that it might happen faster than ecosystem response times, and the result could lead to a catastrophic decrease in biodiversity.” The development of polar climatic conditions that shaped the [evolution] of Antarctic fish is now reversing. The increasing temperature of the Southern Ocean, with the potential for the arrival of invasive species and disruption of food webs, is the greatest threat to the survival of this unparalleled [diversity],” said Yale ecology professor Thomas Near. (Source: Yale Daily News) Some people might not particularly care about the Antarctic fish, but they are a significant food source for penguins and seals. Some of the penguin species living in the area of Antarctica are Emperors, Adelies, Chinstraps, Gentoos, Kings and Macaronis. Consider donating a little (or a lot) to get Stele to write and record this crucial environmental song for the fish and critters. Help get this song performed by touring musicians who can get this song working for our biosphere. Please pass this song around to friends and favorite musicians. Musicians:: Arrange, record and remix a better version of this song. I may be able to share the copyright for your work. |
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![by Bethany Weeks - Flickr / Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) It is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size. An adult male weighs around 350–680 kg (770–1,500 lb)] while an adult female is about half that size. Although it is closely related to the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea. Their scientific name means "maritime bear", and derives from this fact. Polar bears can hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present. The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with eight of the 19 polar bear subpopulations in decline. For decades, large scale hunting raised international concern for the future of the species but populations rebounded after controls and quotas began to take effect. For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of Arctic indigenous peoples, and polar bears remains important in their cultures. -](http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6210/6132622173_b3af42aa22.jpg)
