The emperor penguin, which roams the frozen tundra of Antarctica and the icy seas, is at serious risk of extinction over the next 30 to 40 years as a result of climate change, warned an expert from the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA).
The Emperor, the world’s largest penguin and one of only two species of penguin endemic to Antarctica, gave birth during the Antarctic winter and needs solid sea ice from April to December to nest young chicks.
If the sea freezes later or melts prematurely, the imperial family cannot complete its reproductive cycle.
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“If the water reaches newborn penguins that are not ready to swim and do not have waterproof plumage, they die from the cold and drown,” said biologist Marcela Libertelli, who studied 15,000 penguins in two colonies in Antarctica at the IAA.
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This happened in the colony of Halley Bay in the Wedel Sea, the second largest colony of emperor penguins, where all the chicks died for three years.
Every August, in the middle of winter in the southern hemisphere, Libertelli and other scientists from the Argentine base Marambio in Antarctica travel 65 km (40 miles) every day on a motorcycle at temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius (-40 ° F) to reach the highest the nearest colony of emperor penguins.
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Once there, they count, weigh and measure the chickens, collect geographical coordinates and take blood samples. They also perform aerial analysis.
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Scientists’ findings point to a bleak future for the species if climate change is not mitigated.
“[Climate] forecasts show that the colonies, which are located between latitudes 60 and 70 degrees [south] will disappear in the next few decades; that is, in the next 30, 40 years, “Libertelli told Reuters.
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“The extinction of every species is a tragedy for the planet,” Libertelli said. “Whether small or large, plant or animal, it doesn’t matter. This is a loss of biodiversity. “
The extinction of the emperor penguin could have a dramatic impact in Antarctica, an extreme environment in which food chains have fewer members and fewer connections, Libertelli said.
In early April, the World Meteorological Organization warned of “increasingly extreme temperatures combined with unusual rainfall and melting ice in Antarctica” – a “worrying trend”, Libertelli said, as Antarctic ice sheets have been depleted since at least 1999.
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The rise of tourism and fishing in Antarctica also put the emperor’s future at risk by affecting krill, one of the main sources of food for penguins and other species.
“Tourist boats often have various negative effects on Antarctica, as do fishing,” Libertelli said.
“It’s important to have more control and to think about the future.”
– Reporting by Lusila Seagal; Written by Isabel Woodford and Brendan O’Boyle
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