Posted by Jamie in Climate Change, Endangered Animals | 0 Comments
Emperor penguins face extinction
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Emperor penguins, which are known to be serially monogamous – that is, they only have one mate each year – are predicted by scientists to be facing extinction by the end of the century.
The National Academy of Sciences’ journal proceedings publish crucial information that is based on evidence gathered from the Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change (IPCC).
Considered as the largest species among penguins, Emperor penguins are unique since they are the only type that breeds in the winters. They also make long treks across sea ice where female penguins would lay just one egg brought to them by the male. In this sense, the ice plays a crucial part in their breeding process.
In the research, scientists used mathematical models to predict the effect on penguins of climate change and the loss of sea ice. It plays a massive part in the Antarctic ecosystem as it not only provides a venue for penguins to breed and be fed, but also a place for krill – a type of shrimp-like marine invertebrate animal that acts as an important organism for zooplankton, particularly food for whales, baleens, manta rays, seals and most importantly, penguins.
As reported by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), if temperatures continue to rise, sea ice will melt and the Emperor penguin population in Terre Adelie, Antarctica will dramatically be reduced from 3,000 to just 400 breeding pairs.
Although there are quite a number of models and scenarios in the report conducted by IPCC, the team utilized only 10 – the ones that suit existing satellite data on sea ice. Results then showed that come year 2100, emperor penguins in the region are likely to be reduced by 95% or even more.
Researchers also used data collected by French scientists working in Terre Adelie who started the study in the 1960s. In the 1970s, during subsequent sea ice reduction in Terre Adelie, there was a 50% reduction in the emperor penguins’ population.
Previous studies have shown that climate change could create an impact on the reproduction and geographic distribution of emperor penguins. However, this is the first that formulates predictions about the ultimate fate of the species as a whole.
Just recently, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reported that a species of penguin has been disappearing from a British island in the Southern Atlantic at a rate of 100 per day.
Climate change, overfishing, and changes in marine ecosystems are the possible causes of this environmental issue.
- National Geographic Kids has a fact sheet about Emperor penguins.
- The Antarctic Connection has a comprehensive profile of the Emperor penguin Related Posts
