Antarctica

Thousands of penguin chicks in four emperor penguin colonies likely died after Antarctic ice broke up earlier than usual last year, creating a “catastrophic breeding failure.” In a study published this week in Communications Earth & Environment, researchers from the British Antarctic Survey outlined the very high probability that most…

Scientists say the loss of ice around Antarctica is hurting the survival of emperor penguin chicks. Emperor penguins hatch their eggs and raise their chicks on the ice that forms around the continent each winter and melts in the summer months. The researchers reported Thursday that it appears that none…

Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) chicks are at risk of drowning if there is too little sea ice. (Image credit: Peter Fretwell/BAS)A massive die-off has hit emperor penguin chicks from four colonies in West Antarctica due to record-smashing low sea ice this year, a new study finds. The finding supports predictions…

Emperor penguin chicks emerge from their eggs in the coldest days of Antarctica’s winter. For the first months of their lives the birds are defenseless gray fluffballs, seeking warmth at their parents’ feet or in protective scrums at the center of their colony. Unlike their parents, whose sleek black-and-white feathers…

Disappearing sea ice is taking a toll on the youngest members of the largest species of penguins, new research finds. Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are born into the darkness of Antarctica’s long winter and then fledge around December, when the days of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer are longest. Until fledging—when…

Life For just the second time, biologists have spotted a gentoo penguin with melanism, a genetic condition that results in unusually dark feathers By Corryn Wetzel This unusual gentoo penguin has exceptionally dark plumage Rocio Nigro, Anahi M. Silvestro, Mariana Juares and Pamela Di Marco A gentoo penguin with unusually…

AnimalsA new study predicts a bleak future for these iconic birds, which experienced an unprecedented breeding failure last year due to record-low sea ice levels. ByHeather Richardson Published August 24, 2023 • 5 min read For emperor penguins, sea ice is essential to survival. The iconic birds, found only in…

Credit: Patti Virtue After decades immersed in Antarctic science, I've learned that physical and biological changes rarely occur smoothly. More often than not, they unfold in sharp steps. Right now, Antarctica's climate and ecosystems are experiencing disturbing changes. Much of this winter's sea ice is missing. A crucial ocean current…

Nonfiction Nurturing Uncertainty What can Antarctica's "doomsday glacier" teach us about community? The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth by Elizabeth Rush Milkweed, 2023 ($30) As writer Elizabeth Rush prepares for her two-month expedition to Antarctica, on an icebreaker ship staffed with scientists from around the…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Extreme weather in Antarctica, including ocean heat waves and ice loss, is set to become more intense unless urgent policy action reduces the burning of fossil fuels, a new study has found—the latest to sound the alarm on the damage climate change is unleashing. "It is…