Emperor Penguins in Antarctica are More Than Twice The Estimated

Emperor penguins in Antarctica are more than twice the estimated

The emperor penguin population in Antarctica is nearly twice the estimate, according to satellite imagery collected in an international study published today in the U.S..

“We are delighted to have been able to locate and identify such a large number of emperor penguins,” said study lead author Peter Fretwell, a geographer body British Antarctic Survey (BAS, for its acronym in English), National Agency of the United Kingdom in Antarctica.

Fretwell said that were accounted for about 595,000 of these birds, almost double previous estimates of 270,000 to 350,000 copies.

“This is the first major census of these populations of penguins made from satellite observations,” he added.

Emperor penguins, the species of larger penguin can not fly, but are known to gather in groups to keep warm on ice in cold windy conditions at -60 ° C. Males also hatch eggs from your partner, while the female hunts fish and krill.

In satellite images clearly distinguish these penguins, whose white and black contrast with the ice, researchers counted 44 settlements along the coast of Antarctica, seven of which had been previously identified.

Scientists are concerned that melting ice from global warming, especially in the north of Antarctica, threatening the habitat of the penguins.

“Current research suggests that the emperor penguin colonies will be severely affected by climate change,” said another of the researchers, Phil Trathan, also of the BAS.

“A more accurate census of the entire continent that could be repeated on a regular basis will help us more accurately monitor the impacts of future changes in this iconic species,” he said.

Another scientific, Michelle LaRue, University of Minnesota (North America), said the technique will also allow other species to account more accurately.

“The implications of this study are far-reaching: we now have an effective way to apply our methods to other known species in the Antarctic, to strengthen the ongoing investigation, and to provide accurate information to international conservation efforts,” said .

Collaborators on the study are the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Australian Antarctic Division, with additional funding from the National Science Foundation United States.

A penguin in front of the Korean King Sejong Station, Antarctica, on November 9, 2007. Emperor penguins in Antarctica are double what was thought, good news for Nature.