In Antarctica, photos show a remote area teeming with life amid growing risks from climate change

ANTARCTICA (AP) — The Southern Ocean is one of the most remote places on Earth, but that doesn't mean it's calm. Rough waves that can swallow ships provide a constant roar of the ocean on the Antarctic Peninsula. Although the sound may be loud, the view is serene – at first glance it is just deep blue water and blinding white ice.

A few hundred meters from the shore, a small boat appears with a couple of dozen tourists in bright red jackets. They hold up binoculars in hopes of spotting the killer whales, seals and penguins that call this tundra home.

They are in the Lemaire Strait, nicknamed “Kodak Gap” (after the film and camera company) because of its perfect rocks and ice formations. This narrow strip of navigable water gives anyone who makes it this far south a chance to see what's at stake as climate change, driven largely by the burning of oil, gas and coal, causes global average temperatures to rise steadily.

The Antarctic Peninsula stands out as one of the fastest warming places in the world. The ocean surrounding it is also a major repository of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to warming. It captures and stores approximately 40% of the CO2 emitted by humans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Recently, Gentoo penguins, with their thin orange beaks and white spots above their eyes, put on quite a show. They took breaks from diving into the icy water and made nests on exposed rocks. As the planet warms, they migrate further south. They prefer to colonize rocks and fish in open water, which allows them to grow in population.

However, the Adelie penguins have a different forecast. Plump figures with short flippers and large, bright eyes are unable to adapt in the same way.

By 2100, 60% of Adélie penguin colonies around Antarctica could be threatened by warming, according to scientists. one study. They rely on ice to rest and escape predators. If the water gets too warm, it will kill their food sources. From 2002 to 2020, approximately 149 billion tons of Antarctic ice melted annually, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

For tourists, Antarctica is still a giant glacial expanse, home to only a select few species that can withstand such harsh conditions. For example, in Drake Passage, a dangerous stretch of rough ocean, tourists stand in amazement as killer whales swim in a narrow strip of water and Pintado petrels soar overhead.

However, the majestic views of Antarctica are likely to be very different in the coming decades. Growing colonies of gentoo penguins, shrinking chunks of floating ice and increasing amounts of exposed rock on the Antarctic Peninsula all highlight the changing landscape.

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Associated Press writer Kaylee Wells contributed to this report from Cleveland.

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