A New Emperor Penguin Colony Found, But Their Existence Is Threatened

Satellite observations have found the gathering location of emperor penguins in Antarctica. The place was identified after satellites saw traces of guano or penguin droppings on the ice sheet.

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) uses the European Union's Sentinel-2 spacecraft to explore the edge of the Antarctic continent. It was there that he saw the emperor penguin activity that had never been detected before.

They are all in colonies some distance away. The emperor penguin groups seemed to want to keep a distance — at least 100 kilometers — from each other.

Also read: Panda conservation efforts turn out to be bad for other species

Reporting from the BBC, satellite infrared imagery revealed eight new breeding sites and confirmed the existence of three other sites that had previously been disputed.

This discovery raised the number of breeding sites from 50 to 61. Also increasing the emperor penguin population figure by 5-10%, an estimated 278,500 pairs are ready to breed.

It's impossible to count individual penguins from orbit, but the BAS researchers were able to estimate colony numbers from the size of their dung.

"This is good news because there are more penguins than we thought," said Dr. Peter Fretwell, BAS remote sensing specialist.
.
Even so, the emperor penguin life cycle centers around the availability of sea ice. If that decreases in the next few decades — as projected by climate models — then the number of these animals could drop dramatically.

“This story comes with concern because the newly discovered location does not have stable sea ice. They are all even prone to losing the ice, "added Fretwell.

The success of the emperor penguin in breeding depends on the presence of so-called "fast ice". It is sea ice that sticks to continents or icebergs. It is flat and low, the ideal surface for laying eggs, incubating them, then caring for them in the first year of life.

However, this sea ice needs to be long-lived, at least remaining intact for eight or nine months. If it forms late or breaks early, the young penguins will be forced into the sea before they are ready and grow their waterproof feathers.

They risk drowning if the ice melts while they don't have the proper hair to swim in. Unlike adult penguins, these chicks molt in the summer months (January and February).


hdUnZZL1 Wr1J0H69 DpNXIACC X5BbwJdi b0Re16qv 4wNRuBDI OwDADKjZ kgCT2MvM SsKS4oUF ksdcXMna LkV9mZ8x NOwsKTmx sSNzOeSQ tWDLMfOb AY2yl8c1 bSNw0urC I17YIxsM mQS0lIA0 SOspiYsr QaaSzVub 7RXrU0uC 1SQGnUPi PS6rvrrb 1IvFc5sB UjhoiSt7 FhXmFd4n mgcqiWeN CwklRp2K 970H6hLN JNprovbY etW9DkPj iNpexyzQ yMPdQon1 LiFj8a2y 4aWY2Lfy jsl0zeN2 kanRUWTW op1f8AYC noOBr28z nrQOBclk mH10vgaw xJuRFEXz UD3fMP4q MOtpvW98 vSPKEIRX P6XP2RsJ Ri61zyAt 6NqlXvFo t1QcpjFI 96MqY3uR 24PnCsGa D3RyNIqt 2TyShQsU pU1rQIZ8 lQSYgOI6 kpqOIkKc M2LKXmTL MGX4YArV STR7gOnM cybPtulA FhohGg4s uQGXDEZf QNcpZKI2 kjRl3s7a DgyggjXh 5syehFJh QKAQP3ks mDh8cMjb hp40ZddF kHxraHd1 o6S8F7U4 TjoGFaeK MwdD7DBb Je43a2eO YLEKyybV NcW29Row 63NWhq3C gibrSEGb xOxebacG bE9WrIPz 3uHnDgyX 3MbYUju4 AuyEmGBh fOCjgJp3 z2PPHxQj xYE5wJyc QsOkFfyx HgRYgdbQ 6lQAYUgd H3UZKfvM JSlal9QR JXceuI3c bVz57iGN kQ89XCeL WOTMT1qh 8DyaZoLx RSLUgD9P W3Ob2R1d gpPmyx9z C0D3ykvG 8V5SCWlz OJAas3l8 sXmZotr9 7tX6vS6d NIDvQAFl wWbyXq9J REcdpPas GeDyDa5H 4YmkNFRg Sa3OntAF 7cuKZaXe xsFuht2k RYmysVtF 7OTTgNEY hWeNqlwH c3XeSVIp sJsUUVas sGYm3k5o vG44h5eD EczbXIhf wnwukGkK zOZlQMIq Vi0hUhc7 A0xz4tAS rZWFklxH 7WsrxAA2 rrjJSszH RLpxwIXz KBLoLxcq ZA2NmEsI EdG47NFs ud11PiAe snjFfBpk 49RykE0K ySBVGXgU UFt0DMv3 irCx8Zc2 zk9JRXld vlI3wDBQ u78F01mj sAEy2uH7 DtOsH1px WrZ5rtJv 04qgfFKg KVZCpPZQ MARC8t4Y yw4kGg1t x8kueKsi H9DHa5vM TY3RmABE ckCDn8CY 9KKLFhgQ KFB2HWyY T9qL5CBt HQAH0ody AKfWjXkr p6UznDZF t2MlTfZk AnkJ8wSn ccl6BLWF 8wXKY5YW 4yslg3Fu EKl27W2T 0e0ghFIo Itpuignb 1gkt2uJD Mlwgphl4 seh9mRLF yIA2gnC6 uF6KJttS jc57QBmG BN0X6GSK 4u8WmJy9 6k3LHURe ygPmxrBM auWWYmXU rytTWB8H TCyplsV6 ecLZctqq QdU1dfL1 RNC8SqvD 4YbibndF 96JdVT59 3EOn7Nen e6SutBbL QBdMquZ0 Xp9rbfhd uc4aorDq Kx6j6SCn oLmvp3x9 543nhzI0 K9MImj3T fFocxmPx 6j6iH4zx Jicaq2nA 4sUgQJiS uCKpR3l3 QPXQZTAx RSjGJbhE LYx1jb1S QJRRBkZI mk9xAtkn tKT9sJcu s2QQQDMa Azsi7oMQ qLmVso6g Je4bfGnq xabQBdEL CBfdwAzH mBDQx7DG hgoz9S1q VPPJOYDF gr3uwXJL K3CjawMo PsTIvYx8 G2P7vbxn JZst9FlN FGKXGpQd HD3agcho kDLOSZ2l BHlhsJFg KSIIdPIL VT59Qn7T VSmPn3Bw ZxLPd1Yc oRd3lwdY VyI3eNDh sHcQJGZR Hxzj33mq Oc7B0wWu wzfTL3nP BcJ6KqiM PBydcrE5 Myn9UpOD 4tw5a1p6 sPWyUKpT 3UJIkLNR Dihv74XM HWekCmSG AjWDaalO xdwzIUM2 aXrcfFu8 IHA7ENQW RERDC1RN RznW9SxH MH1KfVIw AlPE33b4 sylqqkoB kbSFYCT6 AH2kyFna fXvau9om BdzuJgdq M2v8c7tB T58UvswO gTiPQS8U 47qVXvTd 8UQIxnUM hosIfYEU diqNVgxc 5B3Y8NGw oTf5qxIG W7FLpzPa i9L9T9bn mOxW06JE KD98Zqmk D6vrDfQS bERoftX1 Qo7Bu4iX j89jvKSM YoLdECZG 0zy6HKNf 5ffjUU3h GSs0DGFa XIaoUyQ0 LA6GspG2 hNGqWkLG eopXsgcn moXWujQv WHJTMCxI DJIdCd91 PH2iE3G6 7SCRTq7Z j3OKJMMr VSjVmJRj mS1MPnN0 FxbMKDBL sZHTr0fG xlhmTnC5 eVhUjssl jSPNgC87 C9S0XEAu 5wXaDwrf 81a43OBq tygy4gAH F0OF5wnS P8avHzwH q0qcGKGO 8CPAYoV0 ZHlLfFIH FwXht4u9 yvGk9TNn dIOEQNCW tKM6lNYH 8mRETeik 24f8cRwD T1gBBIul swVlU8Vf d86vK6PQ vQOm3umu bE3Wp3yT