Why are emperor penguins vulnerable to global warming?

Emperor penguins are vulnerable to global warming particularly due to their reliance on sea ice for breeding and feeding.

They are the only penguin species that breeds during the winter. Breeding success for the birds rests on the presence of the sea ice that sticks to icebergs. Ice cliffs and icebergs offer the breeding colonies the much required protection from the Antarctic wind, besides serving as an ideal surface for the birds to lay an egg, incubate it and then raise the chick in its first year of life.

For these purposes, sea ice will have to stay intact for at least eight to nine months. If the ice forms too late or breaks too early, then their entire lifecycle could go for a toss. If the ice breaks up, the chicks will be forced into sea before their water-proof feathers are fully ready. Likewise, the adults will not have their feathers ready after summer moulting.

Disappearing sea ice may also affect the penguins’ food source. The birds feed primarily on fish, squid, and krill, which in turn feed on zooplankton and phytoplankton that grow on the underside of the ice. If the ice disappears, so too will the plankton.

Scientists say that if carbon emissions remain unchecked, 80% of the emperor colonies could be gone by 2100, leaving little hope for the species’ survival.

 

Picture Credit : Google