The emperor penguin, which roams the Antarctic ice sheet and cold seas, is in danger of extinction in the next 30 to 40 years due to climate change, warns an Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA) expert.The emperor, the largest penguin in the world and one of only two species of penguins found in Antarctica, breeds in the Antarctic winter and needs strong sea ice from April to December to breed chicks. If the sea freezes later or melts prematurely, the emperor’s family will not be able to complete its reproductive cycle.
Newborn penguins:Halley Bay colony
“When water reaches newborn penguins, they are not ready to swim and have no feathers, they are killed by cold and drown,” said biologist Marcela Libertelli, who has studied 15,000 penguins in two Antarctica colonies in the IAA.
This happened at Halley Bay colony in Weddell Sea, the second largest emperor penguin colony, where all the chicks died for three years. Every August, during the winter of the southern hemisphere, Libertelli and other scientists at Argentina’s Marambio Base in Antarctica travel 40 miles (40 miles) each day by motorcycle at temperatures up to -40 degrees Celsius (-40 ° F) to reach the nearest emperor penguin colony.
When they arrive, they count, measure, weigh the chicks, collect local measurements, and take blood samples. And they do air analysis. Scientists’ findings point to a grim future for animals if climate change is not curtailed.“Climate estimates suggest that colonies found between 60 and 70 degrees southwill disappear in the next few decades; that is, in the next 30 years,” Libertellitold.
Characteristics of emperorpenguins
The unique characteristics of the emperor include the long reproductive cycle between penguins. After a chick is born, one parent continues to carry it between its legs to keep it warm until it has feathers. The extinction of any species is a global catastrophe”said Libertelli. “Whether it is small or large, plant or animal – it does not matter. It is the loss of biodiversity. “
The disappearance of the emperor penguin could have a profound effect on Antarctica, a dangerous place where food chains have fewer members and fewer links, says Libertelli.In early April, the World Meteorological Organization warned of “increasing temperatures associated with extraordinary rainfall and melting of ice in Antarctica” – “a disturbing trend,” said Libertelli, as Antarctic ice sheets have been declining since at least 1999.
The increase in tourism and fishing in Antarctica has also jeopardized the future of the emperor by affecting krill, which is a major source of food for penguins and other species.“Tourist boats often have a variety of adverse effects in Antarctica, as well as fishing grounds,” says Libertelli.”It’s important to have a lot of control and think about the future.”
