QUESTION:
After 20 years of study, what have you seen happen in the environment
that surprises you the most?


        From Mrs. Squicciarini's 5th grade class in West Babylon, 
        Long Island, New York.

ANSWER from Dr. Bill Fraser, Ecologist,  Palmer Station, Antarctica
            Wed, 19 Feb 1997 16:43:48 -0500

Dear Fifth Graders and Mrs. Squicciarini,

What has surprised me the most is the rapidity with which ecological
changes seem to be occurring.  For example, I have seen entire
islands appear in the ocean as the glaciers that covered them
melted away due to climate warming.  I have subsequently seen
those islands colonized, first by simple plants like lichens and
mosses, and then by grasses, birds and seals.  We tend to think
that ecological change takes a long time, ut here we have examples
of relatively quick changes in plant and animal communities.

Thanks for your question!
Bill