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Check out the kick starter for Nest saving~ it has lots of info!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aza/invest-in-the-nest-save-penguins-from-extinction

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Invest in the Nest: Save Penguins from Extinction

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AZA is raising funds for Invest in the Nest: Save Penguins from Extinction on Kickstarter! Artificial nests for endangered African penguins that could help a species facing extinction.

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A special breed endangered~caused by over fishing?

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A special breed endangered~caused by over fishing?

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Fears for world's rarest penguin as population plummets

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Commercial fishing blamed for the crash in numbers of yellow-eyed penguin on a sanctuary island in New Zealand

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When the African penguin made a comeback to the South African mainland in the 1980s, most people were thrilled that the embattled bird was again breeding in places other than on a few rocky islets off the coast of Cape Town. Fences and viewing platforms were erected to protect the penguins from tourists flocking to see them. The adorable penguins stimulated business for restaurants and gift shops.
Penguins Bray Like Donkeys
But all that's changed for Betty's Bay, a coastal town east of Cape Town where the local people feel the penguins are getting out of hand, especially as the fences built to protect them have fallen into disrepair and the pushy birds have started taking up residence in suburban yards. According to a report on CNN (video above), Betty's Bay residents have had enough of the stinky birds and their constant noise, which they say keeps them awake at night. These birds are loud. "African penguins are also called jackass penguins because of their donkey-like bray," says the Encyclopedia of Life on its web page about them.

According to the Encyclopedia of Life, the species, Spheniscus demersus, breeds at 25 islands and four mainland sites in Namibia and South Africa. "In the 1980s, the species colonized Stony Point [the Betty's Bay site] and Boulders Beach on the South African mainland, and recolonized Robben Island. Immigration to mainland sites in recent years has been attributed to an eastward shift in the species's prey populations. Just seven islands now support 80 percent of the global population. Its population at the beginning of the 21st century had fallen to about 10 percent of its numbers 100 years before...Declines have continued, with the global population in 2009 estimated at just 25,262 pairs, equating to a decline of 60.5 percent over 28 years (three generations)," the Encyclopedia of Life says.

News Watch reported last year that a colony of African penguins living and breeding on a small island off the southern tip of Africa is fighting an increasingly desperate battle for survival. Their numbers are declining drastically despite the care of conservation organizations which have banded together to give them help, even by providing them with nesting homes to shelter them from the sun and to hide their eggs and chicks from sea gulls.

"Their plight is typical of the increasingly precarious situation of the species as a whole which last year shifted from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Red List of Threatened Species," News Watch correspondent Leon Marshall wrote. Read his post: African Penguin Colony at the Edge of Extinction.
David Braun is director of outreach with the digital and social media team illuminating the National Geographic Society's explorer, science, and education programs. He edits National Geographic Voices, hosting a global discussion on issues resonating with the Society's mission and major initiatives. Contributors include grantees and Society partners, as well as universities, foundations, interest groups, and individuals dedicated to a sustainable world. More than 50,000 readers have participated in 10,000 conversations. Braun also directs the Society side of the Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship.

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Penguin Invasion: South African Town Is Fed-up with Stink and Braying of Endangered Birds

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When the African penguin made a comeback to the South African mainland in the 1980s, most people were thrilled that the embattled bird was again breeding in places other than on a few rocky islets off the coast of Cape Town.

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As a nationally recognized leader in rescue and rehabilitation work, Shedd Aquarium has responded to animals in need for over two decades. Whether it's providing around-the-clock care for Cayucos, one of our rescued sea otter pups, or serving as an active responder in times of environmental disaster, Shedd's extraordinary team of animal health experts have worked together with partners across the globe to support one another in the best interest of the animals.

We care for more than 32,500 animals at Shedd, but as we continue to expand our role in helping animals in need, we have been developing partnerships with organizations that respond to seasonally predictable animal stranding events. One of these relationships is with Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), a leading marine-orientated non-profit organization that has treated more than 90,000 oiled, ill, injured or abandoned African penguins and other threatened seabirds since being established in 1968.

During this particular time of year, hundreds of African penguin chicks are abandoned or otherwise do not thrive in their nests. In response to an unusually high number of African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus) strandings this season, Shedd recently worked with the SANCCOB to assist in the rehabilitation of more than 500 endangered birds.

As an international leader in animal care and conservation, Shedd was able to mobilize quickly and provide assistance to respond to the crisis. In January, two members of the marine mammal care team headed out to Cape Town, South Africa to lend their expertise and helping hands to some of the most extreme cases in the SANCCOB's Intensive Care Unit.

Many of the stranded penguins had health issues including foot problems, lacerations, broken wings, malaria or other illness. They needed all the help they could get and our team was able to provide the necessary care so they can hopefully be released back into the wild. While in South Africa, our team worked hand-in-hand with SANCCOB to care for the penguin chicks, helping to nurse them back to health until they had normal blood values, good feather condition and were healthy enough to swim long distances.

Classified as endangered on the Red List from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this vulnerable water bird is in rapid decline which could lead to extinction for the species in as soon as 15 years. African penguins are found ill, oiled or injured each year as a result of human impact, including oil spills, habitat degradation and climate change. Food shortages resulting from large catches of fish by commercial fisheries and environmental fluctuations also remain a major threat to the population.

This collaboration is essential in helping to save an endangered species. Working together, we are able to get one step closer to achieving the ultimate goal - to stabilize the population of the wild African penguins.

Back at home, Shedd is involved in a successful penguin breeding program and contributes to several penguin rescue efforts with expertise and knowledge gained at the aquarium. In 2001, Shedd joined an international effort to rehabilitate more than 20,000 African penguins from a large colony of endangered penguins that were oiled when a cargo ship sank off the coast of South Africa. Members of the aquarium's penguin care team helped to rehabilitate and release thousands of birds during a three-week trip to Cape Town.

Because of Shedd's expertise, the aquarium was approached to assist in many efforts including beluga calf rescue efforts in Canada and Alaska, oil spill responses in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, and endangered coral recovery in Florida. We also act as a partner and advisor to government agencies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other conservation organizations and fellow zoos and aquariums around the world that need advice about relocating orphaned or injured wildlife.

By working together in strategic and collaborative ways - rescuing penguins in South Africa or providing care for animals in our own backyard - we will be able to collectively achieve our ultimate vision of engaging people and saving species - and hopefully inspire people to make a difference that will preserve and protect animals and habitats for future generations to come.
With more than 35 years of experience, Tim Binder supervises the Fishes division and registrar's office as Vice President of Collection Planning at the John G. Shedd Aquarium

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Lending a Helping Hand to Rescue African Penguin Chicks in South Africa

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Guest Blog by Tim Binder, VP of Collection Planning at Shedd Aquarium As a nationally recognized leader in rescue and rehabilitation work, Shedd Aquarium has responded to animals in need for over two decades. Whether it's providing around-the-clock care for Cayucos, one of our rescued sea otter p

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As a nationally recognized leader in rescue and rehabilitation work, Shedd Aquarium has responded to animals in need for over two decades. Whether it's providing around-the-clock care for Cayucos, one of our rescued sea otter pups, or serving as an active responder in times of environmental disaster, Shedd's extraordinary team of animal health experts have worked together with partners across the globe to support one another in the best interest of the animals.

We care for more than 32,500 animals at Shedd, but as we continue to expand our role in helping animals in need, we have been developing partnerships with organizations that respond to seasonally predictable animal stranding events. One of these relationships is with Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), a leading marine-orientated non-profit organization that has treated more than 90,000 oiled, ill, injured or abandoned African penguins and other threatened seabirds since being established in 1968.

During this particular time of year, hundreds of African penguin chicks are abandoned or otherwise do not thrive in their nests. In response to an unusually high number of African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus) strandings this season, Shedd recently worked with the SANCCOB to assist in the rehabilitation of more than 500 endangered birds.

As an international leader in animal care and conservation, Shedd was able to mobilize quickly and provide assistance to respond to the crisis. In January, two members of the marine mammal care team headed out to Cape Town, South Africa to lend their expertise and helping hands to some of the most extreme cases in the SANCCOB's Intensive Care Unit.

Many of the stranded penguins had health issues including foot problems, lacerations, broken wings, malaria or other illness. They needed all the help they could get and our team was able to provide the necessary care so they can hopefully be released back into the wild. While in South Africa, our team worked hand-in-hand with SANCCOB to care for the penguin chicks, helping to nurse them back to health until they had normal blood values, good feather condition and were healthy enough to swim long distances.

Classified as endangered on the Red List from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this vulnerable water bird is in rapid decline which could lead to extinction for the species in as soon as 15 years. African penguins are found ill, oiled or injured each year as a result of human impact, including oil spills, habitat degradation and climate change. Food shortages resulting from large catches of fish by commercial fisheries and environmental fluctuations also remain a major threat to the population.

This collaboration is essential in helping to save an endangered species. Working together, we are able to get one step closer to achieving the ultimate goal - to stabilize the population of the wild African penguins.

Back at home, Shedd is involved in a successful penguin breeding program and contributes to several penguin rescue efforts with expertise and knowledge gained at the aquarium. In 2001, Shedd joined an international effort to rehabilitate more than 20,000 African penguins from a large colony of endangered penguins that were oiled when a cargo ship sank off the coast of South Africa. Members of the aquarium's penguin care team helped to rehabilitate and release thousands of birds during a three-week trip to Cape Town.

Because of Shedd's expertise, the aquarium was approached to assist in many efforts including beluga calf rescue efforts in Canada and Alaska, oil spill responses in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, and endangered coral recovery in Florida. We also act as a partner and advisor to government agencies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other conservation organizations and fellow zoos and aquariums around the world that need advice about relocating orphaned or injured wildlife.

By working together in strategic and collaborative ways - rescuing penguins in South Africa or providing care for animals in our own backyard - we will be able to collectively achieve our ultimate vision of engaging people and saving species - and hopefully inspire people to make a difference that will preserve and protect animals and habitats for future generations to come.

Healthy African penguin chicks released back into the wild.
With more than 35 years of experience, Tim Binder supervises the Fishes division and registrar's office as Vice President of Collection Planning at the John G. Shedd Aquarium

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Lending a Helping Hand to Rescue African Penguin Chicks in South Africa

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Guest Blog by Tim Binder, VP of Collection Planning at Shedd Aquarium As a nationally recognized leader in rescue and rehabilitation work, Shedd Aquarium has responded to animals in need for over two decades. Whether it's providing around-the-clock care for Cayucos, one of our rescued sea otter p

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Last week governments met in the southern reaches of Hobart, Australia to make decisions on how to manage the vulnerable icy waters around Antarctica. They deliberated in the wake of the recent reports, which concluded with high confidence that climate change will cause dramatic environmental changes and loss of sea ice. As if to underscore the debates over managing for climate change and proposed marine protected areas designed to enhance the resilience of Southern Ocean ecosystems, a massive wedge of the Pine Island Glacier calved into the Southern Ocean. Antarctica seemed to be pleading for action and yet, the 25-member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources ( CCAMLR) failed to agree to act on climate change nor to adopt any protected areas.

Antarctica is exceptional. The coldest, windiest, iciest, driest, and most remote of continents is widely celebrated for its rich history of exploration, science and diplomacy and for its exceptional beauty.

It's also exceptionally important. Since its discovery, scientists have since documented that the Antarctic is vital to Earth systems. And despite the extreme environment - life thrives in incredible abundance. The freezing Southern Ocean that surrounds the Antarctic continent teems with whales, seals, penguins, toothfish, and krill to name a few. This frozen seascape harbors some of the last remaining great wildernesses on the planet. However, fishing pressure, combined with cumulative impacts of climate change, potentially jeopardizes the future of marine life in the Southern Ocean.

The Antarctic, particularly the western Antarctic Peninsula, is one of the fastest warming places on Earth. A warmer Antarctica will lead to global repercussions of sea level rise, ocean circulation, and climate regulation. And locally, climate change is driving fluctuations in ice cover, shifts in population distribution and decreases in primary productivity. Potential declines in ice-dependent Antarctic krill, the foundation of the Southern Ocean food web, could lead to disruptions throughout the ecosystem.

CCAMLR's charter is to conserve all biota and ecosystems in the Southern Ocean. Although fishing is allowed, it is not a right and does not trump responsibility for conservation. CCAMLR's provisions on fishing are strict, precautionary, ecosystem-based and science-based. They also demand that management should take into account the effects of environmental change.

Across the 25 members, CCAMLR scientists have stressed for many years the urgent need to better understand how climate change will affect Antarctic species, both in the presence and absence of fishing. Last year, they proposed a climate change response work program that specifies research and monitoring requirements; identifies actions to address the implications of climate change on fisheries management; and, proposes to engage climate change experts to inform CCAMLR decision-making. A multi-nation research and monitoring plan in the Ross Sea was also on the table for a second time. Yet for two years in a row now CCAMLR could not agree to adopt these plans - ignoring the consensus scientific evidence and advice - largely due to political barriers.

In 2002, in line with global international agreements and targets, CCAMLR began working towards a network of representative MPAs in the Southern Ocean. In 2009, CCAMLR adopted the first international marine MPA. Then in 2016, CCAMLR adopted the world's largest MPA in the Ross Sea, an area deemed to be one of the last remaining healthy marine ecosystems. With the adoption of the world's first large-scale international MPA, there was hope that CCAMLR would soon follow through on its commitment towards the network. This year, three MPAs came under negotiation, including in the Weddell Sea - an icy wilderness which trapped Ernest Shackleton more than 100 years ago and, in part because it is protected by its extreme ice, a region which has never experienced commercial fishing. A proposal for a system of MPAs in the East Antarctic was also back on the table for the 7 thyear. Finally, an MPA for protecting the rapidly changing Antarctic Peninsula - an area with increasing human activity, including fishing and tourism, that is perhaps most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change - was presented for the first time. All three of these proposals were blocked despite strong support.

Extensive research supports that protected areas lead to greater biodiversity and biomass and, further, and perhaps most importantly in the case of the Southern Ocean, that protected areas can enhance species and ecosystems resilience to climate change impacts. The proposals that came to CCAMLR this year would enhance resilience of Southern Ocean ecosystems, and provide vitally important opportunities for research. However, CCAMLR makes decisions based on consensus, meaning that every Member must agree for any management measure to move forward. Securing fishing access, now and in the future, as well as global and regional geopolitics have increasingly challenged CCAMLR's ability to progress on any conservation initiatives, including protected areas.

Climate change is happening now, far outpacing research and policy decisions. A global coalition of nations has started to respond, agreeing to cut carbon emissions with the signing of the Paris Agreement. Most nations have further committed to conserving biodiversity and implementing protected areas via the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As the management body which governs the Southern Ocean, CCAMLR has the responsibility to work in conjunction with the suite of international environmental agreements towards conserving and protecting the Antarctic marine ecosystems. More than that, CCAMLR must take the lead, adopting policies that are both responsive and proactive. Unfortunately, since the adoption of the Ross Sea MPA in 2016, CCAMLR has not made any significant progress towards either incorporating climate change into its management or establishing necessary protections in the Southern Ocean.

Policy can take a long time, especially in consensus decision making, but importantly, States have acted quickly in the past to address the imminent threat of illegal fishing. CCAMLR itself was formed in quick response to fears about overfishing for Antarctic krill. The roots of CCAMLR lie in the Antarctic Treaty, a peace and science agreement crafted in only six months and signed at the height of the Cold War. CCAMLR nations must wake up to the fact that climate change is as imminent a threat to Southern Ocean resources as illegal fishing. They must take quick and decisive action. They must, once again, lead.

The Antarctic is historically a place of great diplomacy, science and conservation. It is rightly celebrated as such. The future of the Antarctic ecosystems depends on CCAMLR rising swiftly to this new challenge. If they do, Antarctica will continue to be a beacon of international diplomacy, scientific collaborations, peaceful cooperation, and thriving ecosystems.

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Last week governments met in the southern reaches of Hobart, Australia to make decisions on how to manage the vulnerable icy waters around Antarctica. They deliberated in the wake of the recent reports, which concluded with high confidence that climate change will cause dramatic environmental change

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L7EI0vKVuU (start @ :37)

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How To Build An Igloo | A Boy Among Polar Bears | BBC

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Penguins - Global Warming is Closer Then You Think

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I animated this piece for a class project. I feel that so much of the world can change and improve with alternative fuel sources. Alternative fuel is the way of the future; it is inevitable and we should no longer procrastinate.

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Global Warming 101 | National Geographic

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Green roofs to protect against extreme weather

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Green roofs to protect against extreme weather

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Quito, Ecuador, has two seasons: dry and wet. And as the climate changes, each is growing more extreme.

Jaramillo: "The rainy season will be difficult to manage. The precipitation can fluctuate really fast."

Biologist Liliana Jaramillo says growing plants on so-called green roofs can help reduce the threat of flash floods by absorbing excess rain. And, they can improve air quality in the rapidly growing city.

So Jaramillo wants to expand the number of green roofs in Quito. But to be successful, the plants also need to survive Quito's dry season, which is growing longer. So Jaramillo is experimenting with native plants that are adapted to Quito's climate extremes.

Jaramillo: "The plants won't need as much water as introduced plants."

For example, she's propagating drought-resistant grasses and succulents from Ecuador's forests and mountainous highlands to see which do best on Quito's rooftops. Last year, she won a United Nations award that will help support her research.

'I think that nature-based solutions like green roofs are applicable in every single city.' Click To Tweet

She says that every geographic area faces its own climate challenges.

Jaramillo: "But I think that nature-based solutions like green roofs are applicable in every single city."
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media.
Image credit: CoalitionWILDvideo screen capture.

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Biologist says green roofs could protect her city " Yale Climate Connections

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Quito, Ecuador, has two seasons: dry and wet. And as the climate changes, each is growing more extreme. Jaramillo: "The rainy season will be difficult to manage. The precipitation can fluctuate really fast." Biologist Liliana Jaramillo says growing plants on so-called green roofs can help reduce the threat of flash floods by absorbing excess rain.

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Hundreds of scientific articles. Written for kids. Approved by scientists.

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Movie:Global circulation * CSDMS: Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System. Explore Earth's surface with community software

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Abstract: This is a high definition animation of global air circulation created by the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). It spans one calendar year and is comprised of hourly data. Cloud cover is generally shown in white with areas of precipitation shown in orange.

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Polar Vortex

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Sign up to receive our latest reporting on climate change, energy and environmental justice, sent directly to your inbox. Subscribe here.
The jet stream-a powerful river of wind high in the atmosphere-shapes the Northern Hemisphere's weather, including bitter cold snaps. Because it plays a key role in weather extremes, climate scientists are striving to understand its changing dynamics.

Here's a closer look at what the jet stream is, what's influencing its wobbly behavior and why it matters.

First things first: What is the jet stream?

The jet stream races from west to east at speeds up to 275 miles an hour, undulating north and south as it goes.

This powerful river of wind transports moisture and moves masses of cold and warm air and storm systems along its path. During the hurricane season, it sometimes helps push Atlantic tropical storms away from the East Coast.

The northern polar jet stream (it has a counterpart in the Southern Hemisphere) is driven partly by the temperature contrast between masses of icy air over the North Pole and warmer air near the equator. Climate change, true to the predictions of the past half century, has led to faster warming in the Arctic than in the temperate zones. So the temperature difference between the two regions has been lessening.

Research suggests that this reduction in the temperature difference is robbing the jet stream of some of its strength, making it wobblier and contributing to more temperature extremes.

What's the jet stream's role in extreme weather?

The jet stream is strongest in winter, when it has the greatest effect on weather in more densely populated parts of North America and Eurasia.

When it rolls along in relatively steady waves, normal weather ensues, with spells of cold, snow and intermittent warm-ups.

But when it coils far to the south, bitter cold Arctic air spills southward along with it.

Wriggling like a garden hose, each southward kink in the wind tends to be balanced out by a northward bend somewhere else. That can lead to the western states, even Alaska, being unusually warm and dry while the middle of the country and the eastern states freeze.

How is the jet stream changing?

Research shows that over the past several decades, the jet stream has weakened. There's also evidence that as it wobbles, it can get stuck out of kilter, which can lead to more persistent weather extremes, including heat waves, cold snaps, droughts and flooding.

Scientists say there is strong evidence that human-caused global warming has altered the strength and path of the powerful winds.

Research into three centuries of European tree ring data by Valerie Trouet of the University of Arizona found evidence of significant changes in the jet stream starting in the 1960s. The recent deviations exceeded normal variations in the past, suggesting a connection to the changing climate. The result: more extreme drought, flooding and heat waves.

What does Arctic warming have to do with it?

Rutgers University climate scientist Jennifer Francis has found " robust relationships" between Arctic warming and a wavier jet stream.

Melting sea ice speeds up the warming of the Arctic because open water absorbs more heat. And that, in turn, leads to even more sea ice melting. In that vicious cycle, Arctic temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global average. And that's reducing the temperature contrast that's one of the jet stream's main engines, Francis said.

More extreme and persistent swings in the jet stream may also be shaping a North American winter weather pattern that's been common the past few years-a warm and dry West, especially California, and cold waves in the Eastern U.S.

"We think it takes two ingredients to make this pattern so robust. A lot of warm water off the West Coast, and warm conditions and declining sea ice in the western Arctic around Alaska. Both pump a big ridge in the jet stream along the West Coast," she said. Then, a few thousand miles east, the jet stream dives south, bringing polar air to the East Coast.

Another study last summer by climate scientist Michael Mann and co-authors also found significant evidence for links between the rapidly warming Arctic and a jet stream slowdown.

What questions still remain?

There are other influences on the jet stream's behavior, and some scientists think that changes in tropical ocean temperatures, or the cyclical recurrence of El Niño, might have a bigger effect on the jet stream than changes in the Arctic.

A team of climate experts who conducted a fast analysis of the late December 2017-early 2018 East Coast cold snap said they didn't find a link to Arctic temperature or sea ice conditions for that particular event, though the authors noted that their work was a quick analysis and not an in-depth modeling study. They did find that cold spells aren't as cold as they would be in a climate unaltered by greenhouse gases.

"Because of Arctic amplification, the cold air coming south is not as cold as it used to be," said Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, a Dutch climate scientist involved in the World Weather Attribution analysis. The decline in cold spells, he said, is "the big signal."

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Polar Vortex: How the Jet Stream and Climate Change Bring on Cold Snaps

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Sign up to receive our latest reporting on climate change, energy and environmental justice, sent directly to your inbox. Subscribe here . The jet stream-a powerful river of wind high in the atmosphere-shapes the Northern Hemisphere's weather, including bitter cold snaps. Because it plays a key role in weather extremes, climate scientists are striving to understand its changing dynamics.