Sudden decrease in surface area sea ice antarctica can have profound effects on ecosystems and species that depend on it for breeding, moulting, or feeding. One of these (but not the only) emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) depends on these large frozen areas throughout all stages of its life cycle.
emperor penguin colonies depends on stable and solid sea iceThese animals use the marginal ice zone for breeding and moulting while also using it as a feeding habitat. They arrive at the breeding grounds between late March and April and lay eggs from May to June, until the eggs hatch after 65 days and the chicks begin to fly between December and January.
This is the continental ice where the whole process takes place. Should remain stable between April and January To ensure smooth playback.
However, a published study Contact Earth and Environment It warns that emperor penguin colonies in a region of Antarctica where sea ice will completely disappear by 2022 are experiencing unprecedented reproductive failure. The discovery supports this prediction: According to current global statistics, more than 90% of emperor penguin colonies are expected to be nearly extinct by the end of the century.
dramatic situation
British Antarctic Survey researchers Found that no chicks survived in four of five emperor penguin colonies Known in the central and eastern Bellingshausen Sea. They examined satellite images showing the loss of sea ice on breeding grounds, long before chicks develop waterproof feathers.
By early December 2022, Antarctic sea ice extent had reached the previous record low set in 2021. The most extreme loss was observed in the central and eastern Bellingshausen Sea west of the Antarctic Peninsula. There was a 100% loss in November 2022.
“Such a reproductive failure has never been seen before in emperor penguins.. We know that emperor penguins are very vulnerable in hot climates, and current scientific evidence shows this. Extreme sea ice loss events like this will become more frequent and widespread”said the project scientists.
Since 2016, Antarctica has recorded four years of lowest sea ice extent since satellite data became available 45 years ago; The two lowest seasons were 2021/22 and 2022/23.
Between 2018 and 2022, 30% of the 62 known emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica were affected by partial or complete loss of sea ice. While it is difficult to directly link specific extreme seasons to climate change, A long-term decline in the extent of sea ice is expected from current generation climate models.
impossible transfer
Emperor penguins have previously responded to sea ice loss events We move to more stable sites the following year. However, this strategy will not work if sea ice in the entire region is affected.
These populations have never been exposed to threats such as large-scale hunting, habitat loss, overfishing, or other human-caused interactions in the modern era. Climate change is being evaluated the only significant factor that will put their populations at risk in the long run.
In fact, if current rates of warming continue, By the end of this century, more than 90% of colonies will be nearly extinct.
The five penguin colonies studied were discovered using satellite imagery over the past 14 years: Rothschild Island, Verdi Bay, Smyley Island, Bryan Peninsula and Pfrogner Point. All five colonies appeared to return to the same location each year to breed; There had only been one previous case of reproductive failure on the Bryan Peninsula in 2010.
Now scientists They regularly use satellite images To explore and monitor colonies, as the brown patches of the birds’ guano stand out clearly against the pure white of the ice and snow. The team used images from the European Commission’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite mission, which has been continuously monitoring the Antarctic region since 2018.
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