Climate Crisis

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and learn, the Bunurong people. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

"We often think about what is happening on the land due to a warming climate, but the whole warming of our planet starts with the oceans."

Assoc. Prof. Andre Chiaradia, Marine Scientist, Phillip Island Nature Parks.

This section is guided by:

Assoc. Prof. Andre Chiaradia, Marine Scientist, Phillip Island Nature Parks.

Little Penguins spend 80% of their lives in the ocean but must return to land to breed. They have evolved to live in both environments. On land penguins breed in burrows, and raise their chicks. There are endless pressures on the penguins while they are on land, including invasive flora, habitat loss from human disturbance and coastal land use, predators such as domestic dogs, cats and foxes. While at sea however, there is one overriding stressor that effects the health of all penguin colonies, the temperature of the water and how it effects their food.

When we examine warming Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) in relation to where Little Penguin colonies are found, we start to see a pattern of deterioration of the colonies' health where the water is warmer, and populations are stable or improving where water temperature remains unchanged.

Penguins are warm-blooded and can regulate their temperature in a similar way to humans. However, the fish which the penguins eat (they prefer sardines and anchovies) are cold-blooded and cannot regulate their temperature. Therefore, the fish must travel in a very specific range of water temperature. As the water temperature changes, the fish must move.

This affects both penguin breeding and feeding.

The fish that would arrive in local waters in mid-spring are now coming earlier - around the end of winter or start of spring. This results in the penguin breeding season beginning earlier. Penguins are now sitting on eggs in July which was unheard of in the past at Phillip Island.

Warming also affects penguin feeding because if the fish move away to find colder water, the penguins must travel further to feed. Thus, foraging takes longer and when they return to their nests they may find that their chicks have died. We have seen this in penguin colonies in South Africa where, in some cases, the population of penguins has declined by 90% in the last 20 years.

"Here is a key impact of global warming - the temperature at sea dictates where the food is present. The warmer water outside the prey comfort zone can push penguin food away, penguins travel further to find food, they are away from their chicks longer and many chicks do not survive. This is a reality that can affect any penguin colony."

Some penguin colonies on both the east and west coasts of Australia are in decline. Around Phillip Island the warmer East Australian Current is not yet contributing to a massive influx of warm water into Bass Strait. This Current mostly continues south to Tasmania.

Thus, the penguins at Phillip Island, for now, are doing well. They are breeding earlier, breeding successfully, and breeding twice per year. But there could be a tipping point in the future. At some point the temperature in Bass Strait will become so warm that the fish will not be there, or they will have to travel too far to get it. If that happens, we may see the same decline for Phillip Island penguins as we have witnessed for penguins in South Africa.

This section is guided by:

Dr. Rebecca McIntosh, Marine Biologist, Phillip Island Nature Parks.

"Seal Rocks for the seals, is a place of rest, a place for raising their young; a haven."

“Low-lying colonies are more exposed to large ocean swells and are likely to be more severely impacted by storm surge events than at sites with higher elevations”

McLean et al. (2018)

“In 2013, for the first time in many years we saw a reduction in the number of pups being born at many of the larger colonies. We are in uncharted territory as far as understanding the population and the impact of climate change. This might be a tipping point. Perhaps the seals are going to give up on the place that has been their haven. Under climate change, seals may have to move further south to survive and are expected to become refugees in Bass Strait. These are concerning signals that we need to take notice of and act on.” 

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