2023-08-28 03:53:16
The loss of sea ice in Antarctica due to climate change has led to the death of more than 10,000 penguin chicks. This event, which can be described as a major disaster, took place during the 2022-23 breeding season. 80 percent of emperor penguin colonies in West Antarctica have been found to have lost their nests. The Bellingshausen Sea area in the Antarctic itself suffered the biggest blow. Penguin colonies in the central and eastern parts of the region have completely disappeared.
Colonies where not a single penguin baby survives
The information regarding the penguin colonies that disappeared due to the ice melt came out in a study conducted by the British Antarctic Survey. In a study using satellite images, it was found that not a single penguin baby survived in many areas. This is the first time emperor penguin colonies have been destroyed on such a large scale.
However, researchers say that what happened now is just a hint. If the impacts of climate change are not managed, penguin colonies across the Antarctic will suffer an unprecedented disaster. Researchers also warn that 90 percent of penguin colonies will disappear completely by the end of this century.
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Reproduction of penguins
Emperor penguins lay their eggs in thick sea ice known as fast ice. Because penguins are large and tend to lay their eggs in groups, these creatures choose a firmer surface to lay their eggs on. At the same time, they are usually not ready to lay their eggs in rocky places. Emperor penguins also consider that the chicks should be able to easily reach the sea once they have hatched and grown enough.
Emperor penguins lay their eggs in May and June. This time is winter in the South Pole, which includes the Antarctic. Therefore, the ice sheets will remain thick and safe. The average time it takes for an egg to hatch is 65 days. By the end of August all the eggs will be fully hatched. But penguin chicks have to wait another four months to get the fitness to swim in the sea. The babies reach the sea for the first time during December-January.
A changing climate and weakening ice sheets
Summer will reach this region in the month of December – January. But until regarding 10 years ago, this summer and the thickest parts of the sea ice remained unmelted during the summer. But as climate change worsened, even the sea ice near the land began to weaken. This is the setback for emperor penguins in the 2022-23 breeding season. During this time, the ice sheets melted earlier than usual and they collapsed. This is why penguin colonies are in crisis.
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It is estimated that there are regarding 650 to 3500 emperor penguins in a colony. Except for the colony on Rothschild Island in the Bellingshausen region, none of the penguin chicks remained. As chicks hatched earlier in the Rothschild region, the only colony in this region produced penguin chicks in the 2022–23 breeding season.
Temperatures reaching new highs
Looking at the 45 years of available data, 2022 was the year from the lowest Antarctic ice extent, followed closely by 2021. This record was held in 2016 until 2021. Climate researcher Dr. Carolyn Holmes says.
In previous years, the penguins had faced a thawing crisis, but they were able to move to safer areas to lay their eggs. But as climate change worsens, the amount of solid ice suitable for spawning is decreasing. Even areas that seem safe during winter spawning are gradually melting away as temperatures rise, the researchers say.
Content Highlights: Emperor Penguin | Antarctic | Ice
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