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Sentinels of the South

Though Cape Royds, Antarctica, may seem like a harsh place, it actually provides a fairly comfortable existence for animals like these penguins. It has high ground, plenty of pebbles with which to build nests, and proximity to open water for feeding. But changes in the region are beginning to disrupt that delicately balanced ecosystem. Because penguins are relatively long-lived, are high on the food chain, and range widely to hunt for food, WHOI biologist Stephanie Jenouvrier is looking at penguins and other seabirds as potential bio-indicators of the ecological consequences of climate change and ocean acidification.(Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)