Latest news with #Adelie
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Funny old world: the week's offbeat news
From how smelly penguins are saving the world to how Dr House got it wrong, your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world. - Fragrant penguins keep us cool - The whiff coming off penguin poo is helping save us from climate catastrophe, say scientists who have made one of the year's most unexpected discoveries. Ammonia wafting from penguin guano is creating cloud cover over coastal Antarctica, blocking sunlight and keeping the continent cool. The odour generated by a colony of 60,000 Adelie penguins on Seymour Island, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, is literally strong enough to change the weather, scientists reported. They found that cloud-seeding aerosols surging from the stink were thick enough at times to generate a dense fog. "This is just another example of this deep connection between the ecosystem and atmospheric processes, and why we should care about biodiversity and conservation," Matthew Boyer, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki, told AFP. - Ships in the night - A Norwegian man woke up to find a cargo ship had run aground only feet from where he was sleeping soundly in his seaside cabin. Johan Helberg was woken by a panicked neighbour who rang his doorbell and frantically phoned to warn him that the ship was heading for his home. The 135-metre (443-foot) NCL Salten rammed into the shore just metres from Helberg's wooden house in a fjord near Trondheim. "The doorbell rang at a time of day when I don't like to open," Helberg said. His neighbour said he was roused at around 5:00 am by the sound of the ship heading at full speed towards Helberg's house. Police said the Ukrainian helmsman had fallen asleep, with the seaman saying the ship's alarms had not gone off. No one was hurt, and the ship was later pulled from the rocks. "It's good to have said hello, but now it's time to say goodbye," Helberg told Norwegian TV. - Treat thyself doctor - He was the pill-popping maverick medic you loved to confound the medical establishment with his unorthodox diagnoses. But TV's Dr House often got it wrong, Croatian researchers have found, with a neurologist working at the wrong end of a patient (doing a colonoscopy) in one episode and an infectologist performing an autopsy in another. - Carlsen takes on the world - Two brains are better than one, but 145,000 are not necessarily superior to a single cerebrum, particularly if the grey matter belongs to the legendary chess master Magnus Carlsen. An army of chess fans was unable to outfox the 34-year-old Norwegian in an online match billed as "Magnus Carlsen vs. The World". Carlsen held them to a draw after a six-week contest, with each side allowed 24 hours to make a move. In fact, Carlsen thought he "was a little bit better" early in the game, but as soon as his opponents got their act together "honestly, they haven't given me a single chance". - No crack in this system - It was almost the purrfect crime but guards nabbed a drug-running cat breaking into a Costa Rican prison just in time. The black-and-white moggie jumped the fence of the jail in Pococi with 230 grams of marijuana and 67 grams of crack cocaine strapped to its body in the middle of the night, the justice ministry said. It may have hoped to catch the guards cat-napping. Instead it was quickly spotted and is now behind bars itself in an animal sanctuary. burs-fg/js
The Star
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Penguin poop's surprising climate power
A new study points to an unlikely ally in the fight to keep the continent cool: penguin poo. — Photo: Mario_Hoppmann / Getty Images© Antarctica's icy wilderness is warming rapidly under the weight of human-driven climate change, yet a new study points to an unlikely ally in the fight to keep the continent cool: penguin poo. Published Thursday in Communications Earth & Environment, the research shows that ammonia wafting off penguin guano seeds extra cloud cover above coastal Antarctica, likely blocking sunlight and nudging temperatures down. Lead author Matthew Boyer, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki, told AFP that lab studies had long shown gaseous ammonia can help form clouds. But "to actually quantify this process and to see its influence in Antarctica hasn't been done," he said. Antarctica is an ideal natural laboratory. With virtually no human pollution and scant vegetation – both alternative sources of cloud-forming gases – penguin colonies dominate as ammonia emitters. The birds' future, however, is under threat. Shrinking sea ice disrupts their nesting, feeding and predator-avoidance routines – making it all the more urgent to understand their broader ecological role. Along with other seabirds such as Imperial Shags, penguins expel large amounts of ammonia through droppings, an acrid cocktail of feces and urine released via their multi-purpose cloacas. When that ammonia mixes with sulfur-bearing gases from phytoplankton – the microscopic algae that bloom in the surrounding ocean – it boosts the formation of tiny aerosol particles that grow into clouds. To capture the effect in the real world, Boyer and teammates set up instruments at Argentina's Marambio Base on Seymour Island, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Over three summer months – when penguin colonies are bustling and phytoplankton photosynthesis peaks – they monitored wind direction, ammonia levels and newly minted aerosols. When the breeze blew from a 60,000-strong Adelie penguin colony eight kilometers (five miles) away, atmospheric ammonia spiked to 13.5 parts per billion – about a thousand times the background level. For over a month after the birds had departed on their annual migration, concentrations stayed roughly 100 times higher, with the guano-soaked ground acting as a slow-release fertilizer. Particle counters told the same story: cloud-seeding aerosols surged whenever air masses arrived from the colony, at times thick enough to generate a dense fog. Chemical fingerprints in the particles pointed back to penguin-derived ammonia. Penguin-plankton partnership Boyer calls it a "synergistic process" between penguins and phytoplankton that supercharges aerosol production in the region. "We provide evidence that declining penguin populations could cause a positive climate-warming feedback in the summertime Antarctic atmosphere," the authors write – though Boyer emphasized that this remains a hypothesis, not a confirmed outcome. Globally, clouds have a net cooling effect by reflecting solar radiation back into space. Based on Arctic modelling of seabird emissions, the team believes a similar mechanism is likely at play in Antarctica. But the impact also depends on what's beneath the clouds. Ice sheets and glaciers also reflect much of the Sun's energy, so extra cloud cover over these bright surfaces could trap infrared heat instead – meaning the overall effect hinges on where the clouds form and drift. Still, the findings highlight the profound interconnections between life and the atmosphere – from the Great Oxygenation Event driven by photosynthesizing microbes billions of years ago to penguins influencing cloud cover today. "This is just another example of this deep connection between the ecosystem and atmospheric processes, and why we should care about biodiversity and conservation," Boyer said. – AFP
eNCA
25-05-2025
- Science
- eNCA
The surprising climate power of penguin poo
WASHINGTON - Antarctica's icy wilderness is warming rapidly under the weight of human-driven climate change, yet a new study points to an unlikely ally in the fight to keep the continent cool: penguin poo. Published in Communications Earth & Environment, the research shows that ammonia wafting off penguin guano seeds extra cloud cover above coastal Antarctica, likely blocking sunlight and nudging temperatures down. Lead author Matthew Boyer, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki, told AFP that lab studies had long shown gaseous ammonia can help form clouds. But "to actually quantify this process and to see its influence in Antarctica hasn't been done," he said. Antarctica is an ideal natural laboratory. With virtually no human pollution and scant vegetation -- both alternative sources of cloud-forming gases -- penguin colonies dominate as ammonia emitters. The birds' future, however, is under threat. Shrinking sea ice disrupts their nesting, feeding and predator-avoidance routines -- making it all the more urgent to understand their broader ecological role. Along with other seabirds such as Imperial Shags, penguins expel large amounts of ammonia through droppings, an acrid cocktail of feces and urine released via their multi-purpose cloacas. When that ammonia mixes with sulfur-bearing gases from phytoplankton -- the microscopic algae that bloom in the surrounding ocean -- it boosts the formation of tiny aerosol particles that grow into clouds. To capture the effect in the real world, Boyer and teammates set up instruments at Argentina's Marambio Base on Seymour Island, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Over three summer months -- when penguin colonies are bustling and phytoplankton photosynthesis peaks -- they monitored wind direction, ammonia levels and newly minted aerosols. When the breeze blew from a 60,000-strong Adelie penguin colony eight kilometres away, atmospheric ammonia spiked to 13.5 parts per billion -- about a thousand times the background level. For over a month after the birds had departed on their annual migration, concentrations stayed roughly 100 times higher, with the guano-soaked ground acting as a slow-release fertiliser. Particle counters told the same story: cloud-seeding aerosols surged whenever air masses arrived from the colony, at times thick enough to generate a dense fog. Chemical fingerprints in the particles pointed back to penguin-derived ammonia. - Penguin-plankton partnership - Boyer calls it a "synergistic process" between penguins and phytoplankton that supercharges aerosol production in the region. "We provide evidence that declining penguin populations could cause a positive climate-warming feedback in the summertime Antarctic atmosphere," the authors write -- though Boyer emphasised that this remains a hypothesis, not a confirmed outcome. Globally, clouds have a net cooling effect by reflecting solar radiation back into space. Based on Arctic modelling of seabird emissions, the team believes a similar mechanism is likely at play in Antarctica. But the impact also depends on what's beneath the clouds. Ice sheets and glaciers also reflect much of the Sun's energy, so extra cloud cover over these bright surfaces could trap infrared heat instead -- meaning the overall effect hinges on where the clouds form and drift. Still, the findings highlight the profound interconnections between life and the atmosphere -- from the Great Oxygenation Event driven by photosynthesising microbes billions of years ago to penguins influencing cloud cover today. "This is just another example of this deep connection between the ecosystem and atmospheric processes, and why we should care about biodiversity and conservation," Boyer said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
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
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Penguin poop may alter the atmosphere and fight climate change
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. Show Caption Hide Caption Heard and McDonald islands get hit by President Trump tariffs President Donald Trump imposed 10% tariffs globally, including the remote, uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands. 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. How does penguin poop help form clouds? 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. Ammonia concentration was 1,000 times normal 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. Protection for seabirds and their habitats 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.'
