In spring 2022, an extreme breeding failure was observed in four out of five emperor penguin nests in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica. The survival of chicks is greatly influenced by steady sea ice, necessary for their breeding and molting.
The research study reveals that 4 nests– Verdi Inlet, Smyley Island, Bryant Coast, and Pfrogner Point– experienced total reproductive failure and were abandoned in the period after the sea ice broke up before the start of the fledging duration in December 2022.
In spring 2022, a drastic breeding failure was observed in four out of five emperor penguin colonies in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica. This alarming phenomenon, a first in the past 13 years for the region, is credited to the considerable sea ice loss due to climate change. The survival of chicks is greatly influenced by steady sea ice, needed for their breeding and molting.
Due to unprecedented sea ice loss from climate change, 4 out of five emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica dealt with considerable breeding failure in 2022.
Four out of 5 emperor penguin colonies in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica, saw no chicks make it through to fledge effectively in the spring of 2022, reports a study published today (August 24) in the journal Communications Earth & & Environment. The research study suggests that this total breeding failure is a direct effect of the unmatched loss of sea ice taped in the area recently due to climate modification.
Needed Conditions for Breeding
Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) nests typically require stable ice connected to the land between April and January to guarantee effective breeding and molting. Any change in the level of the Antarctic sea ice can impact their reproduction as chicks do not develop water resistant plumes till fledging.
Satellite Surveillance of Penguin Habitats
Peter Fretwell and colleagues utilized satellite images covering the duration between 2018 and 2022 to monitor the presence of emperor penguins during the breeding season at 5 colonies in the Bellingshausen Sea in Antarctica. The nests are referred to as Rothschild Island, Verdi Inlet, Smyley Island, Bryan Coast, and Pfrogner Point and variety in size from around 630 pairs on Rothschild Island to around 3,500 sets on Smyley Island.
Implications and findings
The study reveals that four colonies– Verdi Inlet, Smyley Island, Bryant Coast, and Pfrogner Point– knowledgeable total reproductive failure and were deserted in the duration after the sea ice broke up before the start of the fledging duration in December 2022. The authors indicate that it is not likely that any chicks endured to successfully fledge at these colonies. However, satellite images recommend that chicks did fledge successfully at Rothschild Island colony. The authors note that of the five nests only Bryant Coast nest had been identified as having actually experienced overall breeding failure prior to 2022.
This marks the areas very first regional breeding failure observed for emperor penguins in the previous 13 years. It also stands as some of the initial evidence highlighting the direct consequences of Antarctic warming on emperor penguin population practicality.
” Record low 2022 Antarctic sea ice caused devastating breeding failure of emperor penguins” by Peter T. Fretwell, Aude Boutet and Norman Ratcliffe, 24 August 2023, Communications Earth & & Environment.DOI: 10.1038/ s43247-023-00927-x.
