The Life of an Antarctic Archipelago

Biological life near Antarctica is apparently flourishing, a study of biodiversity recently reported in the NY Times. Not only did scientists find greater biodiversity than they expected, they also determined that, in contrast to other regions, biodiversity had changed little in recent centuries. This finding provides a baseline for studying the changes in resident species caused by climate change. Scientists predict that with a two degree Celcius rise in Antarctic temperatures, most species of penguins living in the Orkneys would be, like the polar bears of the Artic, in danger of extinction.