Emperor penguins counted from space (BBC)

            There are about 600,000 emperor penguins which are twice as many emperor penguins in Antarctica how many people thought there were. The numbers of penguins were counted from space. The census technique used is to locate individual colonies and that is done by looking for big brown patches of guano (penguin poo) on the white ice. Then high resolution imagery is used to find out the number of birds present in the area.

            The satellite mapping approach will provide the means of monitoring the long-term health of the penguins’ population. Climate modeling proposed that the number of penguins could fall in the decades in the future if warming around Antarctica erodes the ice on which the animals nest and launch their raids for seafood.

Peter Fretwell from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) stated that “If we want to understand whether emperor penguins are endangered by climate change, we have to know first how many birds there are currently and have a methodology to monitor them year on year.” He also said that, “This study gives us that baseline population, which is quite surprising because it’s twice as many as we thought, but it also gives us the ability to follow their progress to see if that population is changing over time.”

The scientists identified 44 key penguin colonies on the White Continent, and seven of them have not been recognized before. Even with the highest resolution satellite pictures, it is impossible to count each individual bird, so the scientist had to regulate their analysis of the colonies by using ground counts and aerial photography in some places.

The number 600,000 penguins are double of the previous estimate which was 270,000~350,000 emperor penguins. Michelle LaRue from the University of Minnesota said that “we can conduct research safely and efficiently with little environmental impact.” She also stated that this method can be used to find out the population of other poorly understood species in Antarctica.

The amount of sea ice in Antarctica is thought to be relatively stable in recent years. Still the computer modeling suggests that warming of the climate might cause the loss of more northern ice floes in Antarctica later this century.

If the ice melts, it might be a problem since the ice might start to melt before the baby penguins had chance to acquire their full adult, waterproof plumage. Also the krill (tiny crustaceans) which the penguins feed on are also dependent on ice since the krill eats the algae on the ice.

Peter Fretwell said, “The emperor penguins has evolved into a very narrow ecological niche; it’s an animal that breeds in the coldest environment in the world.” “It has an advantage in that environment because there are no predators and no competition for its food.” If Antarctica gets warmer, it will be easier for the predators and competitors to move in and that would cause a problem for the emperor penguin.

This article is interesting because I was always interested to know what is happening in Antarctica and also, the penguins are one of my favorite animals. To help the emperor penguins survive, the humans have to work together to reduce the amount of global warming. As stated in the article, if the temperature rises in Antarctica, penguins’ predators will be able to go to Antarctica and other species that would compete for the food will come to Antarctica too.  For animals like emperor penguin that have a very narrow niche will not be able to survive in such an environment. Penguins are most probably specialists meaning that they only live on the certain habitat and condition, so it will be hard for the penguins to adapt to the warmer climate and other species that are generalists meaning that they are able to live on any habitat and condition will dominate the area where the penguins live.

The global warming is not a problem for the penguins only. It might cause great problem for the humans too because if all the ice in Antarctica melts, it is said that some countries might be under water. Scientists also suggested that if the ice melts, Japan will definitely be below the sea level. I’m sure many other countries would be drowned by the water. The people have to work together to reduce the amount of pollution which will reduce the warming of the weather. It might not be a big deal now, but if the matter is left unnoticed, the people will suffer with many consequences.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17692025

Word Count: 750

College Essay 50. Tell us about yourself. (University of California)

                  I was born in a Catholic family. I would go to Catholic Church Sunday. Even though I did not enjoy it, I thought if I was a Christian, I have to go to church, so I always followed my mother to church. Even my kindergarten was made by Catholic organization, so many people were Catholic. I thought everyone was Catholic, but when I went to elementary school, I got to know that there were very few people who are Catholic. Almost everyone was Buddhist and I got to know that in Japan, there are very few numbers of Catholics.

             It was awkward going to school with kids who do not believe in Jesus. Till I joined elementary school, my friends were all Catholic. I was afraid that people might not accept me for who I am, so I never told people that I’m Catholic. One day, my friends came over to my house to sleepover. The next day was Sunday, so I had to go to Church. My friends asked me where I was going, so I told them that I was going to Church. I cursed myself for telling that to my friends. I thought they would never talk to me again since I am a Catholic. Surprisingly, they said that they would go to Church with me. I was so relieved that I almost broke into tears.

             When we were in the Church all my friends were sleeping. Even I felt sleepy, but I forced myself not to since that is showing disrespect to God. I learnt that nothing is wrong with being a Catholic.

             Then I came to Woodstock School. In the beginning I did not know that there were two kinds of Christianity: Catholic and Protestant. Almost everyone was Protestant that I did not know the difference, so I said even I was Protestant. I got to know that I was different when I brought Rosario bracelet up to school. People asked me if I was Buddhist since they have similar things in Buddhism. I was surprised that people did not have one. I explained to people what it was and they finally said, “Oh! You are a Catholic?” That day I got to know that I was one of the only Catholic in the school and everyone who was Christian were all Protestants. I hated to be different from others, so I told myself that I would never tell people that I am a Catholic again.

             As I grew up, I learnt more about the God and about how there were Protestants and Catholics. For some time, I thought the Catholics were the bad Christian and the Protestants were the good Christian. Then I realized that not all Catholics are like that. It is common for people to rebel when there are people who misuse their power. I believe the people had the right to be angry at the people who used people by telling people that it is written in the Bible. That is what we call blasphemy not what Jesus did. Jesus told the truth, but these people did not. So many Protestants thought the Catholics were the bad people.

             I always hated people who thought everything was the Catholics’ fault. Just because some people misused the name of God, people thought if you are not a Protestant, then you are not loyal to God. I could understand how the Protestants feel, but I have seen many Protestants who were misleading people using the name of God. I also saw many Catholics who were had lots of faith in God. So I decided not to hide the fact that I’m a Catholic.

             Even right now in school, when people get to know that I am a Catholic, they kind of sound disappointed. I always tell people that both Protestants and Catholics believe in the same thing and there is no difference. I do not care if people hate me for who I am; I will always be a Catholic and follow the word of God not the word of the people.

Word Count: 678