William Detrich, professor of biochemistry and marine biology in the College of Science at Northeastern University, has been awarded $639,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance his research on the effects of global warming on Antarctic fish and the role of these fish in the Antarctic food chain.
For roughly 8 million to 10 million years, the seawater in the southern ocean surrounding Antarctica held a stable temperature of -2 °C (28 °F). But now, due to global warming, the seawater is rapidly heating up, Detrich said.
“The ancestors of today’s Antarctic fish evolved so that the frigid temperature was quite comfortable,” he said. “In fact, their body temperature matched that of the water. But now their habitat is experiencing unprecedented and rapid warming.”
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