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Emperor penguin at severe threat of extinction as a consequence of climate change


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Emperor penguin at critical threat of extinction as a consequence of local weather change
2022-05-08 18:54:19
#Emperor #penguin #danger #extinction #due #local weather #change

The emperor penguin is at severe threat of extinction in the next 30 to 40 years because of local weather change, in accordance with analysis by the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA).

Key points:Penguin chicks succumb to freezing or drowning when exposed to the ocean before they develop their waterproof plumageIf nothing modifications, many colonies will disappear in the subsequent 30 to 40 yearsTourist and fishing activity also harms the penguins, disrupting the meals cycle

The emperor, the world's largest penguin and one among only two penguin species endemic to Antarctica, gives delivery throughout the Antarctic winter and requires strong sea ice from April by way of to December to nest fledgling chicks.

If the sea freezes later or melts prematurely, the emperor household can not complete its reproductive cycle.

"If the water reaches the newborn penguins, which are not able to swim and should not have waterproof plumage, they die of the cold and drown," stated biologist Marcela Libertelli, who has studied 15,000 penguins throughout two colonies in Antarctica on the IAA.

This has occurred at the Halley Bay colony in the Weddell Sea, the second-largest Emperor penguin colony, where for 3 years all the chicks died.

Every August, in the midst of the southern hemisphere winter, Dr Libertelli and other scientists at Argentina's Marambio Base in Antarctica travel 65 km every day by motorcycle in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius to achieve the closest Emperor penguin colony.

Once there, they count, weigh, and measure the chicks, gather geographical coordinates, and take blood samples. Additionally they conduct aerial evaluation.

Every August, researchers from Argentina's Antarctic Institute journey to Halley Bay to study the colony's chicks.(British Antarctic Survey: Peter Fretwell)

The scientists' findings point to a grim future for the species if local weather change shouldn't be mitigated.

"[Climate] projections suggest that the colonies which might be situated between latitudes 60 and 70 degrees [south] will disappear within the next few a long time; that's, within the subsequent 30, 40 years," Dr Libertelli said.

The emperor's unique features include the longest reproductive cycle among penguins.

After a chick is born, one father or mother continues carrying it between its legs for heat until it develops its ultimate plumage.

"The disappearance of any species is a tragedy for the planet. Whether small or large, plant or animal — it would not matter. It is a loss for biodiversity," Dr Libertelli mentioned.

The emperor penguin's disappearance may have a dramatic affect throughout Antarctica, an extreme surroundings the place food chains have fewer members and fewer links, Dr Libertelli mentioned.

In early April, the World Meteorological Organization warned of "more and more extreme temperatures coupled with unusual rainfall and ice melting in Antarctica" — a "worrying development", stated Dr Libertelli, with Antarctic ice sheets depleting since at least 1999.

The rise of tourism and fishing in Antarctica have also put the emperor's future in danger by affecting krill, one of the predominant sources of food for penguins and other species.

"Vacationer boats typically have varied unfavourable results on Antarctica, as do the fisheries," Dr Libertelli mentioned.

"It is crucial that there is greater control and that we take into consideration the long run."

Reuters


Quelle: www.abc.internet.au

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