Breeding failures in the Bellingshausen Sea ‘without precedent’ as multiple colonies across large region all failed in a single season
likely died because of record-low sea ice levels that caused a “catastrophic breeding failure” in late 2022, according to new research.
The breeding failures in the Bellingshausen Sea were “without precedent”, the research said, as it was the first time multiple colonies across a large region had all failed in a single season.“It’s a grim story,” said Dr Peter Fretwell, a researcher with the British Antarctic Survey and the lead author of the research. “I was shocked. It’s very hard to think of these cute fluffy chicks dying in large numbers.
Many parts of the region had near total loss of sea ice. Fretwell estimated as many as 7,000 chicks may have perished. Some breeding was possibly successful at one colony in the region, at Rothschild Island, because icebergs may have helped to stabilise the ice giving the chicks the chance to fledge., Fretwell said adults had likely moved to another colony less than 100km away.
Emperor penguins – featured in the animated Happy Feet films – are unusual in that they have not come under pressure from hunting, fishing or loss of habitat.90% of colonies could be so small that they are essentially extinctDr Barabara Wienecke, a senior research scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division, has made dozens of visits to emperor penguin colonies.
“They still have their downy plumage. If the ice breaks out before they can safely enter the water, the plumage becomes waterlogged and, basically, the chicks die of exposure.Both Wienecke and Fretwell said projections of the future for the penguin species may have to be revised, with the risk potentially greater than previously feared.