- Emperor Penguins Facing Extinction
- Rapid Sea Ice Melting Threatens Colonies
- Environmental Impact and Urgent Action Needed
An alarming study has warned that Antarctica’s emperor penguins are on the verge of extinction due to the rapid melting of sea ice.
Based on current global warming trends, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) asserts that 90 percent of colonies could be wiped out by the end of the century.
Their warning follows the analysis of stark satellite imagery from 2022, which suggests that none of the offspring from four of the five known breeding groups in the central and eastern Bellshausen Sea survived.
This is the region’s first reproduction failure, and scientists expect it to worsen.
The absence of sea ice in this region during Antarctic summer made relocated chicks unlikely to survive.
The absence of sea ice in this region during Antarctic summer made relocated chicks unlikely to survive.
We are aware that emperor penguins are extremely vulnerable in a warming climate, and current scientific evidence indicates that extreme sea ice loss events will become more frequent and pervasive.
Approximately 30% of Antarctica’s documented emperor colonies have been affected by sea ice loss over the past four years.
These penguins lay their eggs on stable sea ice in Antarctica’s hard winter from May to July.
Males incubate eggs for 65–75 days, meaning they don’t eat for four months.
Even after the eggs have emerged, chicks must remain above the sea ice because their first feathers are not waterproof.
Typically, chicks ‘fledge’ in December or January, when these feathers are supplanted by a water-resistant plume.
Last December, Antarctic sea ice extent reached a record low, setting the previous record set a year earlier.
This was most severe west of the continent in the Bellingshausen Sea, where emperor penguins were severely affected.
Dr. Fretwell also stated, “Emperor penguins provide a window into this changing ecosystem and are an indicator of the environmental effects of diminishing sea ice.”
These other species will consist of crabeater seals, Weddell seals, Minke whales, and a variety of seabirds. Even more importantly, Antarctic krill hatch in the sea ice.
Without sea ice, plankton will decrease, affecting the southern ocean and the sea ice zone.
August’s sea ice extent remains well below historical norms, worsening the problem since December.
Emperor penguins are severely hit, but Adélie penguins prefer rocky breeding areas distant from the ocean.
In light of these findings, WWF’s Chief Adviser for Polar Regions, Rod Downie, told MailOnline. ‘Emperor penguins are on the verge of extinction if we do not act immediately.
These vulnerable species require sea ice for successful reproduction, but Antarctica has lost a startling one million square miles of sea ice this year compared to the average from 1981 to 2010. Since I began working in Antarctica in 1997, I have never seen anything like this.
Urgent action is required to limit the average global temperature rise to within 1.5°C, to safeguard the teeming waters surrounding Antarctica, and to designate emperor penguins as Specially Protected Species.
As glaciers melt and sea levels rise, the repercussions of global warming will be felt well beyond Antarctica.
