THE NEW PENGUIN COLONY

An emperor penguin breeding colony that was previously unknown has been discovered in satellite images that show feces stains in the West Antarctic snow and ice.

Inadvertently, satellite images of West Antarctica that clearly show their guano, or droppings, staining the ice, have revealed a never-before-seen emperor penguin colony, one of just 66 known to exist. For an emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forestry) breeding site, the colony is projected to house 1,000 adult birds, living in 500 pairs with their young. However, it significantly expands our understanding of the species.

The colony was discovered in December by Peter Fret well, a geographic information officer for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). However, the announcement was postponed so that it would fall on Penguin Awareness Day, which is celebrated on January 20 every year.

Fret well told Live Science that while examining images taken by the two Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites of the European Space Agency (opens in new tab) to monitor sea ice melting, he noticed the telltale signs of an emperor penguin colony. The ice appeared to have a very small dark stain, he claimed. Penguins gave up flying in favor of swimming more than 60 million years ago.

Observed from space

When he discovered a brand-new colony of penguins in December, geographic information officer Peter Fret well of the British Antarctic Survey was searching for melting sea ice. The research team found the colony in December, but they didn't make the discovery public until January 20, which is Penguin Awareness Day.

Only 1,000 adult penguins, or 500 mating pairs, make up the new colony, which is fairly modest. However, it was a major contribution as one of the 66 emperor penguin colonies that scientists are now aware of.

The coal mine with the penguins

Emperor penguins are believed to inhabit the chilly shores of Antarctica, according to LiveScience. Even harsher environments make up their winter breeding sites. On ice floes in the open sea, they spend the winter.

Since sea ice is melting and temperatures are rising, emperor penguins are at risk because of their chosen habitat. Despite even though more than 60 colonies have been discovered, many of them are on the periphery of the breeding areas and preferred habitats for penguins. The number of emperor penguins in these regions may be threatened by climate change due to melting ice and warming waters.

Although it is encouraging that we have discovered these new colonies, breeding places for emperor penguins are all in areas where recent model forecasts indicate a reduction in the species. This is according to Philip Tartan, Head of Conservation Biology at the British Antarctic Survey. Therefore, the birds in these areas are probably the "canaries in the coal mine"; we need to keep an eye on these areas since climate change will have an impact here.

Cloudy snow

Penguin guano, or droppings, accumulate close to colonies and stain the snow a dark brown color. This colony, like all the others spotted by satellite, was visible from orbit.

Higher-resolution satellite images were used to validate Fretwell’s team's discovery of the dark-brown snow. Pictures acquired by the Mazar WorldView-3 satellite, which can locate objects as small as a foot long, showed the penguins as tiny dots in the background of the image. Researchers concluded roughly 1,000 penguins were living in the colony based on the Mazar WorldView-3 picture.

It is good news for penguins' future that this new colony has been discovered. Knowing that there are still locations where penguins may thrive is comforting in light of climate change and other human effects on their ecosystem. We can have optimism from these pictures that penguins will stay on our planet for a long time if we act to preserve their habitats.

Satellite images of seabirds

Even though emperor penguin colonies are typically spread out and challenging to examine, BAS scientists have found a number of them in satellite images of Antarctica's coastline over the past 15 years. The number of emperor penguins in the Antarctic may even be 20% more than previously thought, according to recent satellite studies.

On densely packed sea ice, emperor penguins only breed. However, because of their dependency on sea ice, penguins are also more susceptible to its disappearance in a warming world; West Antarctica has already been severely impacted.

The sea ice extent in Antarctica was at its lowest point last year, and this year is much worse, according to Fret well. Before the end of the century, it is predicted that humans will likely lose at least 80% of emperor penguin colonies.

Emperors are currently recognized as vulnerable species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as a result of this threat from climate change.

Majestic penguins

Emperor penguins are the tallest and heaviest penguins; they may generally reach heights of up to 39 inches (100 cm) and weights of up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms.) The striking black, white, and yellow coloration of their feathers give them their name.

Emperors dive for fish, crustaceans, and krill over most of the summer in Antarctica. In the gloomy winter months, they spawn on the packed sea ice's surface, often more than 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the open ocean and in conditions where the temperature can drop as low as minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 60 Celsius.).

To verify the numerical estimates of penguin breeding colonies only visible in satellite images, Fret well recently traveled to Antarctica to investigate another sizable emperor penguin colony by aerial drone.

And although he was close enough to smell the penguin feces, he claimed that it wasn't that unpleasant. Because emperor penguin colonies are atop sea ice, a large portion of the guano is frozen and doesn't smell, in contrast to penguin colonies that breed amid rocks, where the scent can be strong. In comparison to other penguins, emperors are "regales and not as stinky," he claimed.