lost records recorded sea ice Antarctica The West caused a ‘catastrophic reproduction failure’ emperor penguin colonies at sea It is from Bellingshausen at the end of 2022, as it is now known after it was discovered by researchers from the British mission (BAS) in Antarctica.
Images taken by the Copernicus SENTINEL-2 satellite show the disappearance of sea ice around the frozen continent’s Isle of Smyley and Byrant Beach. This is a serious situation caused by global warmingThis also has a direct impact on the biodiversity of the region.
All but one of the five monitored spawning sites in the Bellingshausen Sea experienced ‘complete reproductive failure’ due to loss of ice According to a report published in the scientific journal, it will be at sea by the end of 2022. Nature.
The article titled ‘Record sea ice in Antarctica in 2022 led to catastrophic breeding failure of emperor penguins’ “First recorded case of diffuse reproductive failure “The number of emperor penguins is clearly correlated with large-scale reductions in sea ice.”
drowned or froze to death
It is assumed that Up to 10,000 birds died due to melting sea iceThat’s because this molting occurred before the chicks in the breeding colonies developed waterproof feathers, causing them to suffocate or freeze to death.
“Studies to estimate emperor penguin population trends from sea ice loss estimates paint a bleak picture, because If current rates of warming continue, more than 90% of emperor penguin colonies will be nearly extinct by the end of this century.” indicates the investigation.
“Populations in the modern era have never been subject to large-scale hunting, habitat loss, overfishing, or other local anthropogenic interactions, and therefore, unusual for a vertebrate species, climate change is considered the only significant factor in the long evolution of this species.” “continues to work with the term.
Emperor penguins are currently listed as: Nearly threatened on the Red List International Union for Conservation of Nature
Reference work: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00927-x#Fig2
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