Satellite images have unveiled a heart-wrenching scene of devastation among emperor penguin colonies in climate-change-ravaged Antarctica. Last year, as sea ice dissolved beneath the penguins' habitats, helpless chicks were left to perish in frigid waters.
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| Hundreds of emperor penguin chicks likely died last year in Antarctica due to the loss of sea ice. (Image credit: Peter Fretwell, British Antarctic Survey) |
The spring of 2022 marked an unprecedented catastrophe for the majestic emperor penguins that inhabit Antarctica. As sea ice disintegrated beneath them at an alarming pace, colony after colony faced disarray. Young chicks, ill-equipped to survive the icy waters, met their demise through drowning or exposure.
Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) documented this tragedy through satellite imagery, sharing their findings in a newly published study. Peter Fretwell, a remote-sensing scientist at BAS and the lead author of the study, disclosed in an interview with Space.com that "Emperor penguins are having a particularly bad year this year. Their breeding success has been really impacted by the lack of sea ice."
Fretwell, who has dedicated 15 years to monitoring remote emperor penguin colonies through satellite images, witnessed firsthand the effects of sea ice loss on these towering birds, the tallest of all penguin species. Thriving in the most extreme conditions on Earth, emperor penguins breed on sea ice, congregating in colonies consisting of hundreds of individuals. In the past, Fretwell's team had observed the dire consequences of sea ice depletion. For instance, between 2016 and 2018, a sizable colony in Halley Bay experienced a near-complete loss of chicks due to uncharacteristically warm weather eroding the sea ice.
One unique aspect of emperor penguins is their breeding cycle, which occurs during the Antarctic winter rather than the summer. Stability in sea ice conditions from April to December is essential for their survival, as newly hatched chicks require a dependable platform on which to live.
Penguin chicks, covered solely in down feathers, lack the ability to swim and fish for food until they develop waterproof plumage around December, roughly three months after hatching. During this period, they rely completely on their parents for nourishment and warmth, huddling together on floating ice while their parents hunt for sustenance. Premature disintegration of the ice beneath the colony leaves these chicks with little chance of survival, leading to drowning or freezing. "This year, that happened to a lot of colonies," Fretwell lamented. "Many more this year than we've ever seen before."
The alarming images captured by the European Earth-observation satellite Sentinel-2 displayed the near-complete loss of young penguins in all colonies within the Bellingshausen Sea region in western Antarctica. Fretwell estimated that around 5,000 to 10,000 breeding pairs reside in this area, translating to a similar number of chicks. Unfortunately, only one colony managed to survive with roughly 200 chicks.
Due to the inaccessibility of most emperor penguin colonies in harsh terrains, satellite images are instrumental in tracking their populations. Researchers utilize the brown markings left by penguin feces on pristine ice to identify colony locations. Advanced satellites with resolutions of about 12 inches (30 centimeters) even enable the identification of individual adult penguins.
Regrettably, the horrors witnessed last year likely represent merely the surface of the problem. Numerous smaller, less conspicuous animal species dependent on sea ice for survival and breeding likely suffered equally from the extraordinary loss of sea ice during the Antarctic spring and summer of 2022 and 2023. These species are poised to endure more challenging years as the climate crisis continues. Fretwell cautioned, "Our models suggest that, in a scenario where climate change continues as is at the moment, we will lose 90% of the [emperor penguin] colonies by the end of the century."
Scientists are bracing for yet another year of catastrophe. After hitting an all-time low in February this year, Antarctic coastal sea ice failed to rebound during the winter months, remaining significantly below seasonal averages.
While Antarctica once appeared more resilient to climate change compared to its northern counterpart, the Arctic, recent years have exposed the vulnerability of the southern ice cap. Pervasive low sea ice extents not only imperil Antarctic fauna but also signal danger for the region's increasingly fragile glaciers. The deterioration of the Antarctic ecosystem will reverberate globally through rising sea levels and altered ocean currents, rendering the planet even more susceptible to escalating warming.
The sobering study was published on August 24 in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, highlighting the urgent need for concerted international efforts to combat the escalating climate crisis before more irreversible damage is inflicted upon our planet's delicate ecosystems.
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