The recent study reported in the journal Biological Conservation has revealed a devastating news – thousands of Adélie penguin chicks in Antarctica have died due to record-low levels of sea ice over the past three years.
The scale of the tragedy was confirmed through a research conducted by a team of scientists led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the United States. They studied colonies with at least 10,000 pairs of nesting Adélie penguins in two areas of the continent.
In the first region (called the Danger Islands), the WHOI team found that since 2016, there has been a significant decrease in the number of breeding chicks. The mortality rate was pegged at around 18%, compared with a 5% average for most penguins colonies in Antarctica. In the second region (called east Antarctica), the mortality rate of the chicks was reported to be higher, at around 20%.
The main culprit behind the mass death of the chicks was shortage of food, which was caused by the decline in sea ice levels. Since Adélie penguins feed on krill which depend on the sea ice as a source of food, the low sea ice levels reduced the availability of krill and in turn, also resulted in the decrease in their breeding success.
The news of the death was not taken lightly by the scientific community as Adélie penguins are an iconic species of Antarctica and are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. According to the WHOI team, such an unprecedented number of dead penguin chicks is a warning sign of how remote locations like Antarctica may already be affected by global warming and climate change.
It is no secret that the number of the Adélie penguins has been declining globally, and if the current trend continues, these birds may soon be at risk of extinction. To prevent that from happening, the WHOI team is calling for the formulation of necessary policies for the protection of these species, in addition to international collaborative efforts for the conservation of Antarctic sea ice levels.
We can all do our part to help the Adélie penguins by creating awareness of their plight and taking small steps, like reducing our own carbon footprints, to combat climate change. Only then can we save these fluffy little birds and their habitat in Antarctica.
