‘A real shift’: Quantitative ecologist to talk ‘Penguins of Antarctica’ at Werklund Centre

Calgarians can learn much more about penguins from Heather Lynch, a leading expert who's in the city for two National Geographic Live shows.

As a quantitative ecologist, Heather Lynch embraces statistics, math and the natural world, and those studies have led to a complex view of the impact of climate change on penguins.

“We are seeing a real shift between an Antarctic-dominated ecosystem and one that’s more sub-Antarctic,” Lynch told CTV News.

“It doesn’t mean the penguins are all disappearing, but the types of penguins we’re seeing in this area are certainly changing because the climate itself is changing so rapidly.”

The species Lynch specializes in—the gentoo penguin—is doing better as the earth’s climate warms up.

“They are thrilled with climate change because from their perspective, the Antarctic is looking warmer and wetter and more like the home they enjoy further north,” Lynch said.

However, the outlook is more dire for emperor penguins, who are now endangered as their icy home warms up.

Lynch, an associate professor at Stony Brook University in New York, speaks at the Werklund Centre on April 19 and 20 as part of the National Geographic Live series.