Latest news with #emperorPenguins
CBS News
6 days ago
- Science
- CBS News
New report indicates emperor penguins are living on thin ice
Emperor penguins live in some of the most remote and environmentally pristine regions in the world. But that doesn't mean they're safe from the impacts of a warming planet. Just ask Dr. Birgitte McDonald, a researcher at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. For 15 years, she's studied emperor penguins and how they dive, swim, and forage for food. A new report published in the journal Nature has deepened her concern about the penguins' survival. "This report wasn't too surprising but a little depressing at how fast it seems to be happening in one region," remarked McDonald. The report involved scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. For 15 years, they've monitored 16 colonies of emperor penguins via satellite imagery. These colonies represent roughly a third of all the emperor penguins on earth. Emperor penguin with chicks, Aptenodytes forsteri, Snow Hill Island, Antartic Peninsula, Antarctica Getty Images A new analysis of the satellite data has detected a higher and more dramatic decline in the birds' populations. Five years ago, the scientists found a 9.5% drop. The updated data shows a startling 22% drop. "Overall, the picture is quite poor. It's quite dire for the penguins," remarked Dr. Peter Fretwell, lead author of the new analysis. The warming of the planet is thinning and destabilizing the sea ice that is critical for the breeding and molting of the penguins. There is more competition for available food among all the creatures in the area. In addition, scientists are detecting more extreme weather in the form of more rainfall and storms. An increase in extreme weather is a hallmark of climate change. "The chicks are well insulated with their down, but the down only really works if they stay dry. And so, if there is a lot more rain, the chicks will have to spend more energy trying to stay warm," explained McDonald. "So, going out to sea for the first time at a lighter weight, and that could decrease their chance of survival." As to what we can do to slow the warming, McDonald offered some advice: fly less, try more carpooling and driving less, and eat less meat. These are all small steps, but if large enough people practice them, McDonald noted, there could be a difference. Here are more ideas on how you can reduce your carbon footprint. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SeaWorld San Diego's emperor penguins moving to Florida
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — While SeaWorld San Diego was once able to boast the theme park was the only place you could see emperor penguins in the Western Hemisphere, that distinction now goes to SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld San Diego sent off its emperor penguins to SeaWorld Orlando, which will be debuting the birds on June 14 at its Antarctica Realm habitat. It is unclear if or when the penguins will return to San Diego. FOX 5/KUSI's reporting partners at the San Diego Union-Tribune say SeaWorld San Diego is going to be reimagining its Penguin Encounter exhibit. SeaWorld San Diego had long been able to claim the title of the only place in the Western Hemisphere to see emperor penguins — the largest of all penguins. Emperor Penguin chick becomes first to hatch at SeaWorld San Diego in 13 years Since making history in the 1980s with the world's then only successful emperor penguin breeding facility outside of Antarctica, SeaWorld San Diego has since hatched and raised more than 20 emperor penguins, including most recently in 2023, according to the park. All 18 species of penguin are legally protected from hunting and egg collecting. Penguins are vulnerable to habitat destruction, overfishing, ecological disasters such as oil spills, ocean pollution, and human encroachment into nesting areas. In celebration of the aquatic birds heading to Florida, downtown Orlando has three giant penguin art installations you can find around the city through June 19. Annual Pass Members were able to get early access to see the emperor penguins at SeaWorld Orlando on June 12 and 13 ahead of their Saturday debut. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
13-06-2025
- Science
- CBS News
New report shows massive plunge in planet's emperor penguin population
Emperor penguins may live in some of the most remote and environmentally pristine regions in the world, but that doesn't mean they're safe from the impacts of a warming planet. Just ask Dr. Birgitte McDonald, a researcher at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. For 15 years, she's studied emperor penguins and how they dive, swim, and forage for food. A new report published in "Nature" has deepened her concern about the penguins' survival. "This report wasn't too surprising but a little depressing at how fast it seems to be happening in one region," remarked McDonald. The report involved scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. For 15 years, they've monitored 16 colonies of emperor penguins via satellite imagery. These colonies represent roughly a third of all the emperor penguins on earth. A new analysis of the satellite data has detected a higher and more dramatic decline in the birds' populations. Five years ago, the scientists found a 9.5% drop. The updated data shows a startling 22% drop. "Overall, the picture is quite poor, it's quite dire for the penguins," remarked Dr. Peter Fretwell. Fretwell is the lead author of the new analysis. The warming of the planet is thinning and destabilizing the sea ice that is critical for the breeding and molting of the penguins. There is more competition for available food amongst all the creatures in the area. In addition, scientists are detecting more extreme weather in the forms of more rainfall and storms. Increasing extreme weather is a hallmark of climate change. "The chicks are well insulated with their down but the down only really works if they stay dry. And so, if there is a lot more rain, the chicks will have to spend more energy trying to stay warm. So going out to sea for the first time at a lighter weight and that could decrease their chance of survival," explained McDonald. As to what we can do to slow the warming, McDonald offered some advice: fly less, try more carpooling and driving less, and eating less meat. These are all small steps but if large enough people practice them, McDonald noted, there could be a difference. Here are more ideas on how you can reduce your carbon footprint.
Malay Mail
11-06-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
‘Worrying result' for Antarctic emperor penguins as populations plummet faster than expected
PARIS, June 11 — Emperor penguin populations in Antarctica have shrunk by almost a quarter as global warming transforms their icy habitat, according to new research yesterday that warned the losses were far worse than previously imagined. Scientists monitoring the world's largest penguin species used satellites to assess sixteen colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea, representing nearly a third of the global emperor penguin population. What they found was 'probably about 50 per cent worse' than even the most pessimistic estimate of current populations using computer modelling, said Peter Fretwell, who tracks wildlife from space at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Researchers know that climate change is driving the losses but the speed of the declines is a particular cause for alarm. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, found that numbers declined 22 per cent in the 15 years to 2024 for the colonies monitored. This compares with an earlier estimate of a 9.5-per cent reduction across Antarctica as a whole between 2009 and 2018. Warming is thinning and destabilising the ice under the penguins' feet in their breeding grounds. In recent years some colonies have lost all their chicks because the ice has given way beneath them, plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough to cope with the freezing ocean. Fretwell said the new research suggests penguin numbers have been declining since the monitoring began in 2009. That is even before global warming was having a major impact on the sea ice, which forms over open water adjacent to land in the region. But he said the culprit is still likely to be climate change, with warming driving other challenges for the penguins, such as higher rainfall or increasing encroachment from predators. 'Emperor penguins are probably the most clear-cut example of where climate change is really showing its effect,' Fretwell told AFP. 'There's no fishing. There's no habitat destruction. There's no pollution which is causing their populations to decline. 'It's just the temperatures in the ice on which they breed and live, and that's really climate change.' 'Worrying result' Emperor penguins, aka Aptenodytes forsteri, number about a quarter of a million breeding pairs, all in Antarctica, according to a 2020 study. A baby emperor penguin emerges from an egg kept warm in winter by a male, while the female in a breeding pair embarks on a two-month fishing expedition. When she returns to the colony, she feeds the hatchling by regurgitating and then both parents take turns to forage. To survive on their own, chicks must develop waterproof feathers, a process that typically starts in mid-December. The new research uses high resolution satellite imagery during the months of October and November, before the region is plunged into winter darkness. Fretwell said future research could use other types of satellite monitoring, like radar or thermal imaging, to capture populations in the darker months, as well as expand to the other colonies. 'We really do need to look at the rest of the population to see if this worrying result transfers around the continent,' he said, adding however that the colonies studied were considered representative. He said there is hope that the penguins may go further south to colder regions in the future but added that it is not clear 'how long they're going to last out there'. Computer models have projected that the species will be near extinction by the end of the century if humans do not slash their planet-heating emissions. The latest study suggests the picture could be even worse. 'We may have to rethink those models now with this new data,' said Fretwell. But he stressed there was still time to reduce the threat to the penguins. 'We've got this really depressing picture of climate change and falling populations even faster than we thought but it's not too late,' he said. 'We're probably going to lose a lot of emperor penguins along the way but if people do change, and if we do reduce or turn around our climate emissions, then then we will save the emperor penguin.' — AFP
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Emperor penguin population decline may be "worse than the worst-case projections," scientists warn
Emperor penguin populations in Antartica may be declining faster than the most pessimistic predictions, scientists said after analyzing satellite images of a key part of the continent. The images, spanning from 2009 to 2024, suggest a decline of 22% in the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea, according to researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and University of Southampton, who published their study in Nature on Tuesday. The 16 emperor penguin colonies in that part of Antartica represent a third of the global population. The estimated decline compares to an earlier estimate of a 9.5% reduction across Antarctica as a whole between 2009 and 2018. The researchers now have to see if their assessment in that region of Antartica is true for the rest of the continent. "There's quite a bit of uncertainty in this type of work and what we've seen in this new count isn't necessarily symbolic of the rest of the continent," Dr. Peter Fretwell, the lead author of the study, said in a statement. "But if it is — that's worrying because the decline is worse than the worst-case projections we have for emperors this century." While further analysis is needed, Fretwell told Agence France-Presse the colonies studied were considered representative. Researchers know that climate change is driving the losses, but the speed of the declines is a particular cause for alarm. Warming is thinning and destabilizing the ice under the penguins' feet in their breeding grounds. Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) pair on sea ice, Larsen B Ice Shelf, Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Sergio Pitamitz/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images In recent years some colonies have lost all their chicks because the ice has given way beneath them, plunging hatchlings into the sea before they were old enough to cope with the freezing ocean. Fretwell said the new research suggests penguin numbers have been declining since the monitoring began in 2009. That is even before global warming was having a major impact on the sea ice, which forms over open water adjacent to land in the region. But he said the culprit is still likely to be climate change, with warming driving other challenges for the penguins, such as higher rainfall or increasing encroachment from predators. "Emperor penguins are probably the most clear-cut example of where climate change is really showing its effect," Fretwell said. "There's no fishing. There's no habitat destruction. There's no pollution which is causing their populations to decline. It's just the temperatures in the ice on which they breed and live, and that's really climate change." Emperor penguins number about a quarter of a million breeding pairs, all in Antarctica, according to a 2020 study. A baby emperor penguin emerges from an egg kept warm in winter by a male, while the female in a breeding pair embarks on a two-month fishing expedition. When she returns to the colony, she feeds the hatchling by regurgitating and then both parents take turns to forage. To survive on their own, chicks must develop waterproof feathers, a process that typically starts in mid-December. The new research uses high resolution satellite imagery during the months of October and November, before the region is plunged into winter darkness. Fretwell said future research could use other types of satellite monitoring, like radar or thermal imaging, to capture populations in the darker months, as well as expand to the other colonies. He said there is hope that the penguins may go further south to colder regions in the future but added that it is not clear "how long they're going to last out there". Computer models have projected that the species will be near extinction by the end of the century if humans do not slash their planet-heating emissions. The latest study suggests the picture could be even worse. "We may have to rethink those models now with this new data," said Fretwell. But he stressed there was still time to reduce the threat to the penguins. "We've got this really depressing picture of climate change and falling populations even faster than we thought but it's not too late," he said. "We're probably going to lose a lot of emperor penguins along the way, but if people do change, and if we do reduce or turn around our climate emissions, then then we will save the emperor penguin."
