Penguin poop may alter the atmosphere and fight climate change
Penguin poop may be playing a key role in keeping climate change in check over Antarctica, new research published May 22 finds.
Specifically, ammonia released from penguin poop (aka guano) may help to reduce the effects of climate change in the Antarctic by contributing to increased cloud formation, according to a new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
The conclusion is the result of measurements taken by scientists downwind of a colony of Adelie penguins in Antarctica in 2023.
It's a complex chemical process, which goes something like this: Along with other seabirds, because of their diet of krill and fish, penguins are major emitters of ammonia in the region. Ammonia can increase cloud formation by reacting with gases containing sulphur to increase the creation of aerosols — particles which give water vapor a surface to condense upon, leading to cloud formation.
The resulting clouds can act as insulating layers in the atmosphere, often helping to reduce surface temperatures and also the extent of sea ice coverage around Antarctica.
Scientists measured the concentration of ammonia in the air at a site near Marambio Base, a research station on the Antarctic Peninsula owned by Argentina, for a couple of months in 2023. They noticed that when the wind blew from the direction of a 60,000-individual Adelie penguin colony around five miles away, the ammonia concentration increased to as high as 13.5 parts per billion – more than 1,000 times higher than the baseline value (which is less than 10.5 parts per trillion).
Even after the penguins migrated from the area, the ammonia concentration was still more than 100 times higher than the baseline, as the penguin guano left at the colony site continued to emit the gas.
The results suggest that penguin guano may be helping to reduce the effects of climate change on the penguins' own habitat of Antarctica. The authors say that their work emphasizes the importance, and benefits, of protecting seabirds and their habitats from the effects of climate change.
"This (study) demonstrates an important connection between ecosystem and atmospheric processes that impact the Antarctic climate, which is crucial given the current rate of environmental changes in the region," the authors write in the study.
'There are connections between things that happen on our natural planet that we just don't necessarily expect,' lead study author Matthew Boyer, a University of Helsinki atmospheric scientist, told The Washington Post. 'And this is one of them.'
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Penguin poop may alter the atmosphere and fight climate change
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