14 DAY TRIAL // The deep-water bedrocks around Antarctica are home to some of the least studied creatures in the world, animals that only thrive in nearly-freezing waters. They have been isolated from outside influences millions of years ago, and survive on specific locations, to which they have adapted, but which are unsuitable for housing any other marine species. Now, because of the global warming phenomenon, water temperatures in those areas have increased considerably, and experts say that many of the rare and wonderful species will soon go extinct altogether.
As the Southern Ocean heats up, temperatures rise even in its deepest parts. Over the past 50 years, the water has become about 1 degree Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer, which has prompted many species to move out of their "homes," in order to survive. Antarctic sea spiders, limpets and sea urchins are now considered to be among the most vulnerable and threatened living creatures on the planet.
Giant marine woodlice and sea lemons are also at risk of completely disappearing, due to the heating of the waters. The Antarctic region is one of the coolest in the world, so it would make a certain amount of sense that, if this area were to get even warmer, there would be no place for this creatures to migrate to. The only other option would be the Arctic, but temperatures in the Atlantic and Pacific are too high to allow for such migration. And human intervention is impossible in the case of transplanting several species from a pole to the other.
"A temperature rise of only 2-3 degrees (Celsius) above current temperatures could cause these animals to lose vital functions. Because this is one of the most rapidly warming areas on the planet and because the animals are so temperature sensitive, this marine ecosystem is at higher risk than almost anywhere else on the planet," marine biologist Simon Morley, from the Rothera British Antarctic Survey, explains.
"Will they be here in 100 years' time? It does look as if these mechanisms are truly applicable worldwide," he adds. The UN Climate Panel estimates that this century will see a rise in temperatures of about 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius, which basically spells destruction and annihilation of countless species, both on land and in the oceans.