Poisonous chemicals hitting Antarctic: 13-05-2008
Poisonous chemicals locked in glaciers are being released into the environment as climate change begins to melt ice, a study has found.
Research into Adelie Penguins revealed the chemicals could affect wildlife populations in the region.
One of the chemicals found was DDT, a particularly dangerous pesticide for birds, and this is now affecting the penguins.
Researchers found that the chemical was reaching the poles on the wind and being rained into the ice.
But tests of air, surface water and snow revealed the chemical was not coming from current spraying.
"The only place left with measurable levels of DDT was in the glacier meltwater," said Heidi Geisz, a researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
As global warming continues, the pesticide that was trapped in the ice in years gone by is now finding its way into the meltwater.
But according to National Geographic the researchers do not believe it will harm the penguins.
They will now look at different chemicals in the penguins and compare findings with other Antarctic species that migrate during the winter months.