Thousands of helpless baby penguins have drowned and frozen to death in the water in several places in Antarctica. The reason is melting ice and global warming. That’s what a group of researchers write in a new study published in the Nature-affiliated journal Communications Earth & Environment. PREDICTING MORE OF THE SAME: Chief Scientist Peter Fretwell at the British Antarctic Survey predicts more mass die-offs of emperor penguins in Antarctica. – This is the first major mass death of emperor penguin chicks across several colonies. It is probably something we will see more of in the future, says chief scientist Peter Fretwell from the British Antarctic Survey to AFP. – We have predicted this for quite some time, but to actually see it happen is heartbreaking, says Fretwell. Four out of five nesting sites extinct The researchers studied the five existing nesting sites for emperor penguins in an area known as Lake Bellingshausen. The study was done using satellite images. Each colony numbered between 700 and 3,500 individuals, but after the spring season, four of the five colonies were totally extinct, the study shows. It was in the area with the least deviation in sea ice that the colony survived. SEA ICE GROWN LONG: Sea ice in the Ross Sea in Antarctica. Between 1979 and 2014 there was a gradual increase in the amount of sea ice around Antarctica, but this trend has now reversed. Photo: Ted Scambos / AP The emperor penguin is the world’s physically largest penguin species, and can grow up to 115 centimeters tall. Each winter, the flightless birds nest in a fixed place. Since the start of research on emperor penguins with satellite images in 2009, there have been occasional local mass extinctions. But there have never before been such incidents spread over an entire region. The researchers believe that this makes it difficult for the penguins to adapt to the massive changes. ABNORMAL: There were large deviations in the extent of sea ice around Antarctica in November 2022, the spring season in the southern hemisphere. It is particularly the area known as Lake Bellingshausen that has been hit hard. Photo: C3S/ECMWF / Communications Earth & Environment Abnormally little ice The sea ice in Antarctica is at its lowest extent for this time of year since measurements began 45 years ago. An area of ice the size of Argentina is missing. The spring season from September to December last year was far warmer than usual. It is the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula that is particularly hard hit. LARGE: Adult emperor penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula in 2010. The penguins are some of the world’s largest birds, and can weigh up to 45 kilograms. Photo: SARAH DAWALIBI / AFP This area is an important nesting area for the emperor penguin. But when the ice melts, the baby penguins are in great danger. – The ice breaks up into pieces, or disappears completely. When the children end up in the water, they usually drown. Even if they make it to land, they’re likely to freeze to death, says Fretwell. The emperor penguins number approximately 500,000 individuals. But now scientists see that approximately 30 percent of all current colonies have been affected by sea ice loss. It can push the species over from its status of “near threatened” to being “vulnerable”.
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Mass death of emperor penguins in Antarctica – news – Klima
