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.
Iran has rejected as “irrelevant” a UN nuclear watchdog resolution referring its nuclear file to the UN Security Council, arguing that ...
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, ...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
August 2026 tied as the hottest month ever recorded globally, pushing average temperatures above the critical 1.5°C threshold as extreme weather swept across several regions, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said.
Increasingly intense wildfires and heat waves are threatening global efforts to improve air quality and protect public health, the United Nations’ weather agency has warned.
Vast flocks of storks passed through Türkiye and the Bosporus this week as part of their annual autumn migration from European breeding grounds toward Africa and the Middle East.
China's coastal areas and southern regions are preparing for days of intense precipitation, with tens of thousands of people evacuated as Typhoon Narra tracks inland and another storm churns toward the country's eastern seaboard.
A wildfire in Croatia driven by strong winds descended on the tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing houses, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate to safety and injuring dozens, fire brigade and health officials said on Friday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment