More than 90% of emperor penguin colonies are predicted to be all but extinct by the end of the century, as the continent’s seasonal sea-ice withers in an ever-warming world.
But the research team watched as sea-ice under emperor rookeries fragmented in November, before thousands of chicks had had time to fledge the slick feathers needed for swimming.
Antarctic summer sea-ice has been on a sharp downturn since 2016, with the total area of frozen water around the continent diminishing to new record lows.
Between 2018 and 2022, roughly a third of the more than 60 known emperor penguin colonies were affected in some way by diminished sea-ice extent - whether that’s ice forming later in the season or breaking up earlier.
She links the causes for the current decline to anomalously warm ocean water around the continent and a particular pattern of winds, which in the case of the Bellingshausen, has pushed ice back towards the coast, making it difficult to spread.
Currently, emperors are classified as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organisation that keeps the lists of Earth’s most endangered animals.
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Spoiler alert: a lot more penguins are gonna die (and other wildlife, and people) before large swathes of governments and the public get on board.
A recent climate Scientist who testified in front of congress in 1988 on the topic of global warming, said that it’s unfortunate that humanity has got to taste it first before they spit it out
Its insane, a gut punch to the soul, I have no words for the idiocy and malice unfolding before my eyes. Every day I grow more and more restless, like a frog that is aware the water will boil.
The economy will be great again because some dumb country will sure to wage war for resources eventually in a selfish attempt to make things better for themselves short term while making everyone including themselves die even faster. And we all know how much America loves taking advantage of war to sell weapons!
We’ve been tasting it, I don’t think we’ll properly spit it out before we deep throat the goddamn thing. Undoubtedly we will choke and die on it. Absolutely pathetic
While true that it’s too late to avoid consequences, doomerism is just as much a trap to keep you complacent as climate denial is. If we act now or relatively soon, we can still avoid the worst consequences. It is going to suck, no matter what, but the fight isn’t over.
You people keep saying “we” as if you have any influence. The solution can only be reached through worldwide government regulation that literally cannot be achieved. You’re living in a fantasy when you should be getting ready for imminent disaster.
And it really isn’t even on us to do anything. It’s the corporations. They need to provide the alternative fuel sources for transportation. They need to provide the environmentally friendly power generation. They need to clean up their emissions and toxic waste. This isn’t on “us”. This is on them.
putin is still at large. Any chance we can you know 😜…tall building? Maybe 🤔 special taco sauce in his milk tonight? Or an ice bullet? You know, anything would be acceptable. Like if you just accidentally run him over with your Ford Fiesta and then a steam roller just happened to finish the job, that would still be pretty acceptable.
Man, I can’t help myself comparing this to the opening of The Dark Knight Rises (that one guy injected Dr. Pavel’s blood/DNA, and then sacrifices himself).
bbc.co.uk
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