Expedition+Antarctica+(March+2nd,+2018)

On March 2nd, 2018, there was a seminar held at the Daily Planet Cafe, called Expedition Antarctica, which talked about the detrimental effects that climate change has on food chains and the ecosystems in general (even though there were some specifications of Antarctica itself). This seminar was given by Alex Rothburg, an Ichthyologist. An Ichthyologist is someone who studies fish. During the event, Mr. Rothburg discussed his experiences in Antarctica, and how climate change, more specifically global warming, can affect the ecosystem and food chains in that ecosystem. In addition to this, Mr. Rothburg also talked about questions that he tried to answer while on his research expedition. Moreover, most of the audience was that of younger children, so a game of Bingo was played to help them understand the conceptual basis of what he was talking about with terms like predation, camouflage, and more

Previously, my thoughts on climate change were that only on the general basis. I only thought on the broad conception that climate change will melt the polar ice caps and will be detrimental to the environment in that perspective. However, this seminar brought to my attention the affects that it has on food chains and wildlife in these areas. It was mentioned by Mr. Rothburg that because of climate change, species living in those areas (Arctic) are migrating to areas that are most representative of their previous environments. On the conceptual basis, this could drastically alter the food chain, and food webs for that matter. For example, if aquatic fish in the Arctic migrate because the temperature in the water is not viable to their want, then the population of predators to that fish species will decrease dramatically. If they start decreasing, then that means that other populations of other prey will start to drastically increase. This will lead to a positive feedback loop when it comes to the environmental resources available. Assuming the other prey are herbivores or primary consumers, then the amount of plants will start to decrease, which is obviously detrimental to the environment. This perspective was also very good, since this event hosted many young children. Climate change, more specifically global warming, is a very recent issue, and has always been prominent in our society as a worry. Having this seminar is a very good informative lesson for those of our young generation, as they are the next generation that will be able to change this world.