Scientists find previously unknown Emperor Penguins colonies
Using satellite imagery scientists working in Antarctica have discovered four previously unknown Emperor Penguin colonies
Using satellite imagery scientists working in Antarctica have discovered four previously unknown Emperor Penguin colonies.
Predictions of the future Emperor Penguins population, linked to anthropogenic climate change, are stark. Current models suggest that if CO2 emissions continue to rise at present rates, almost all colonies will be quasi-extinct by the end of the century. The monitoring of populations is crucial to tracking these changes and, if possible, implementing conservation measures. Recent work using satellite imagery to discover, track and monitor emperor penguin populations has proved to be a key technology in understanding the locations, numbers and trends of the species.
The four new colonies are thought to have existed for many years but to date had not been found by scientists.
One of the sites discovered is thought to be comprised of birds which have moved around 30kms from a previous site. In recent years Emperor Penguins have been moving their colonies as climate change is driving ice melting in the region.
The other three sites are likely to be completely new sites but it is still not clear if any could be made up of ‘breakaway’ birds from other known colonies.
The newly discovered colonies are relatively small, with less than 1000 breeding pairs in each. The four new sites bring the total known Emperor Penguin colonies to 66. The current population estimate for the species stands at 300,000 breeding pairs so the The new sites do not significantly change the current population of Emperor Penguin which is estimated to be less than 300,000 breeding pairs.
29 January 2024
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