Studying Why Penguins Disappeared from Emperor Island
14.03.2011 - Ice & Snow, Flora & Fauna, Antarctic
As reported in the journal PLoS ONE, British researchers believe that the disappearance of a small colony of penguins on an island off the West Antarctic Peninsula might be traced to the loss of sea ice due to warming in the area. The colony was first discovered in 1948 on Emperor Island, and numbered approximately 150 breeding pairs. Since 1978, however, the colony’s population has plummeted, and by 2009, the island was completely devoid of any penguins.
Documenting such a disappearance of a colony for the first time, the scientists believe that the Emperor Island penguins born in the late 1970s might have returned to the island in smaller and smaller numbers each year until eventually they never returned. The sea ice is crucial to the survival of these creatures, and while the individuals of this colony frequently nested on land, the disappearance of this colony indicates that “breeding on land may not be a good alternative”.
While the exact cause of the disappearance remains uncertain, evidence suggests a connection to climate change. Other factors may include disease or extreme weather; however thus far, there is no data available to test these hypotheses. The scientists will study more colonies to reduce the uncertainty around their findings.
