Drama in the Antarctic

Melting ice: thousands of emperor penguin chicks die

Climate change also shows no mercy in the animal world: More and more emperor penguin colonies at the South Pole are not surviving.

(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot))

Thousands of penguin chicks died in Antarctica again last year as a result of the increasing ice melt. The record low level of Antarctic sea ice at the end of 2023 led to breeding losses in a fifth of the continent's emperor penguin colonies, according to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). 

If the sea ice on which a colony breeds breaks up before the chicks have grown waterproof feathers, they have little chance of survival. Even on a remaining floe, they have no chance because the parents have difficulty finding and feeding their offspring.

14 out of 66 colonies affected
14 out of 66 colonies were affected in 2023, after 19 in the previous year, according to the analysis presented in the journal "Antarctic Science".

The breeding losses are a direct consequence of the unprecedented loss of sea ice in the region that has occurred in recent years due to climate change. Extremely low summer sea ice extent was recorded in both 2022 and 2023.

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Emperor penguins could become extinct 
According to estimates, there are currently several hundred thousand emperor penguins left in the wild. According to predictions, the charismatic species could be virtually extinct by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at current levels. However, BAS expert Peter Fretwell also sees reason for hope: there is evidence of adaptation, especially in the most affected colonies, and the birds may be moving to other areas.

Fakten

Antarctica spans the land and sea areas located at the South Pole and is one of the two polar regions of our planet.
From 1820, Antarctica was explored by explorers and navigated by seafarers. In 1959, it was declared the world's largest nature reserve.
The mainland area of Antarctica is the largest ice desert in the world. Climate change is also affecting the eternal ice, which is why the habitat of penguins and co. is dwindling.
Emperor penguins grow to 1.3 meters tall and can weigh up to 37 kilograms. The carnivores' favorite food is squid and krill.

Penguins depend on ice
Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) grow to more than one meter tall and are the southernmost penguin species. For most of the year, from April to January, they are dependent on stable sea ice that is connected to the mainland. They lay their eggs between May and June. It takes around 65 days for the chicks to hatch and they do not fledge until December and January, the Antarctic summer.

The BAS analyses are based on satellite data from "Sentinel-2" of the Copernicus program. "Sentinel-2" flies over the Antarctic coast about once a week and its archive goes back to 2018.