The emperor penguin's natural habitat is in danger due to climate change, and the consequences this has for the proliferation of its species could be catastrophic.
In fact, this year a major reproductive failure has been detected in the emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica for the first time in history: no chick has survived in 4 of the 5 existing colonies in this area.
This is confirmed by a new study published in the journal Nature that has analyzed the causes of the mass death of chicks , an unusual phenomenon that is once again related to the global warming of our planet, unusual and of anthropological origin.
Therefore, not only are we facing more extreme climatic phenomena and serious environmental problems, but ecosystems are also degrading and losing their natural capacities to provide for local fauna and flora, causing the threat or even the disappearance of species.
This is, unfortunately, a much more common situation in recent decades: substantial damage to coral reefs, deforestation of forests and jungles around the world, major droughts in rivers, lakes and swamps, and now the melting of the poles are some of the examples that most concern experts.
The emperor penguin is, in this way, the most recent addition to a long list of victims of the current state of warming on planet Earth . The recent analysis by Antarctic experts explains why.
THE CONTEXT: CHANGES IN THE ANTARCTIC ECOSYSTEM
For years now, we have broken records for global ice loss with a cumulative total of more than 30 billion tons in just 3 decades. However, this year, Antarctica has recorded an exceptionally low level of sea ice extent and the most data Recent studies show that it is fading at a rapid rate.
The existence of this ice is of vital importance to the local ecosystem: many animals depend on it for food and shelter, both above and below it, in the depths of the Southern Ocean, where there is thriving and diverse marine life.
Furthermore, the Antarctic ice contributes to the regulation of the planet's temperature , and its melting would cause a rise in sea level with terrible consequences for coastal areas in various parts of the world.
