A new study warns that the emperor penguin population in Antarctica is shrinking faster than expected, with numbers falling by 22% over 15 years due to climate change and unstable sea ice.
Emperor penguins, the largest penguin species and a vital part of Antarctica's ecosystem, are experiencing a population collapse “worse than the worst-case projections,” according to new research published Tuesday by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
The study, based on satellite imagery analysis, found that emperor penguin numbers in a key sector of Antarctica have declined by 22% between 2009 and 2023, dropping at an average rate of 1.6% annually.
“This is worse than the worst-case projections we have for emperors this century,” said Peter Fretwell, a wildlife-from-space expert at BAS, expressing deep concern about the findings.
Emperor penguins are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their heavy dependence on stable seasonal sea ice for breeding. “Unfortunately, the recent trend has seen sea ice in many parts of the continent become patchy and unreliable, likely harming breeding success,” the study noted.
Beyond sea ice loss, the penguins also face mounting challenges from changing weather patterns, food competition due to shifting wildlife ranges, and increased predation and disturbance by species like petrels.
“The fact that we're moving to a position faster than the computer models project means there must be other factors we need to understand,” said co-author Phil Trathan, emeritus fellow at BAS.
Trathan emphasized that curbing greenhouse gas emissions is critical to reversing the decline. “If we don't, we'll probably have relatively few emperor penguins left by the turn of this century,” he warned.
Currently, the World Wildlife Fund estimates the global emperor penguin population at around 270,000 breeding pairs, making them the least common Antarctic penguin species.
Scientists are now working to determine whether similar declines are occurring across other regions of Antarctica.
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, ...
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said...
Georgia could gain a direct electricity link to Europe under plans for a new overland energy corridor connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye ...
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
Rhossi, a rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that washed up near death on a Welsh beach in 2023, has returned to Texas after more than two years of rehabilitation in the UK.
Glacier coverage in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Basin has shrunk by 33.7 per cent over the past 70–90 years, according to an updated glacier inventory by Kyrgyzhydromet. The agency says the pace of glacier retreat has accelerated sharply in recent years.
Extreme heat and historically low river levels are forcing nuclear power plants across Southeast Europe to reduce production, increasing pressure on already stretched electricity supplies and prompting governments to call for lower consumption.
Flash floods in Gansu Province in China's northwest last week killed 25 people and injured 23 more, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, raising earlier death tolls.
Three firefighters have died as wildfires continue to burn across Greece, with Crete facing a second day of intense blazes driven by strong winds. The fires come as Europe battles destructive wildfires fuelled by extreme heat and drought.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment