Latest news with #penguinpoop
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Penguin poop is creating more clouds. Here's how
There is no shortage of penguin poop in Antarctica. In fact, you can see it from space, if you know where to look. Researchers often use satellite observations to study Adélie penguin populations and changes in their diet. The most widespread penguin species, there are currently an estimated 10 million Adélie penguins, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The penguins themselves are too small to see from above, but their excrement is not. Also known as guano, the old bird poop builds up on rocky and icy surfaces over time. It can be seen in shades of white, red, and pink. The color that is expelled depends on what these flightless birds eat. With a krill diet, for example, turns it out pinker. Whereas, a largely fishy diet turns their poop whiter. But, the color isn't the only magic associated with Adélie penguin poop. Researchers say that ammonia released from the guano could help to protect them from the increasingly dangerous effects of human-caused climate change. The sea ice Adélie penguins rely on to survive is dwindling, as it is increasingly threatened by climate change. However, ammonia released from their poop may be contributing to increased regional cloud formation that halts ice loss and protects their habitat. 'There are connections between things that happen on our natural planet that we just don't necessarily expect,' Matthew Boyer, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki, told The Washington Post. 'And this is one of them.' Boyer was the lead author of the related research, which was recently published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. Ammonia, which is a naturally occurring chemical compound often used in disinfecting products, can ramp up cloud formation when it chemically interacts with gases that contain the smelly element sulphur. This reaction increases the creation of particles in the air that give water vapor — water in its gaseous form — a surface to condense upon: changing it into a liquid. That's how clouds are formed. Ammonia clouds have been found on Jupiter, and over Southeast Asia. The resulting clouds can serve as insulating layers in the atmosphere, as well as help to reduce surface temperatures and keep the surrounding sea ice from melting. Last year, the sea ice extent in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica was the second smallest on record. This March saw Antarctic sea ice plunge, as well. The sea ice, which is more reflective than water, plays a significant role in keeping polar regions cool. 'We can hypothesize that there will be a cooling effect from the clouds because, in general, that is the most prominent effect of clouds in the atmosphere,' Boyer explained. To reach their conclusions, Boyer and his colleagues measured the concentration of ammonia in the air at a site near Marambio Base in the winter of 2023. They were downwind of the colony of 60,000 Adélie penguins, and their poop. When the wind blew from that direction, they found the concentration of ammonia in the air increased to more than 1,000 times higher than the baseline level. Furthermore, it was still more than 100 times higher than the baseline after the penguins had migrated from the area by the end of February. To confirm that this was the direct result of the guano's ammonia, they took several additional atmospheric measurements on a single day, finding that the number and size of particles at the site sharply increased when the wind blew from the colony. Just three hours later, they observed a period of fog that they say was likely the result of the increased particles. Although the specific interaction between penguins and the Antarctic climate is currently poorly understood, Antarctic ecosystems are facing significant pressures because of human-driven climate change that is driving sea ice loss as global warming continues. Warmer waters may mean less of the phytoplankton that krill and fish eat, reducing the penguins' food supply. The researchers say that their conclusions emphasize the importance of protecting penguins, which play a vital role in balancing their ecosystems. Although these birds may only be just over two feet tall, their contribution may be massive. 'The oceans and the penguins are influencing the atmosphere and actually influencing the local climate in Antarctica,' said Boyer. 'The local changes in Antarctica will have an impact on global climate.'
Gizmodo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
The Surprising Link Between Penguin Poop and Cloud Formation
Scientists have discovered a surprising—and smelly—source of clouds in Antarctica: penguin poop. According to a new study published in Communications Earth & Environment, ammonia gas emanating from these flightless birds' guano sets off a chain of chemical reactions that causes clouds to form. These clouds may be changing local temperatures in the Antarctic—and perhaps the global climate. At the Marambio Base on the Antarctic Peninsula, researchers led by Matthew Boyer—a doctoral candidate at the University of Helsinki in Finland—measured the concentration of ammonia wafting from a colony of 60,000 Aldelie penguins from January to March 2023. When the wind blew from the direction of the colony, ammonia levels spiked, sometimes reaching 1,000 times above normal levels. In February, the penguins left the area to continue their annual migration, but the guano they left behind kept ammonia levels up to 100 times higher than normal for over a month. Because penguins mainly eat fish and krill, their excrement is full of nitrogen waste that ultimately breaks down into ammonia. This chemical compound rises into the air as gas, then mixes with sulfur gas produced by marine microorganisms, such as phytoplankton. That reaction creates aerosol particles, which then join with water droplets to form clouds. Previous studies have modeled this chain reaction before, but Boyer and his colleagues watched the clouds form in real time. In February 2023, they measured a particularly strong burst of aerosols from the guano, then sampled a fog that formed just a few hours later. This confirmed that the fog contained particles created by the reaction between ammonia from the guano and sulfuric acid from plankton. 'There is a deep connection between these ecosystem processes, between penguins and phytoplankton at the ocean surface,' Boyer told Grist. 'Their gas is all interacting to form these particles and clouds.' There are about 20 million penguins living in Antarctica, according to the British Antarctic Survey. This teeming population produces a lot of poop, and therefore a lot of clouds. Computer models have found that these clouds reflect sunlight, leading to significant ground cooling. Boyer and his colleagues state that more research is needed to fully understand the clouds' impact on local temperatures. But if they do have a cooling effect, they suggest that declining penguin populations could exacerbate Antarctic warming during the summertime. 'It is already understood that widespread loss of sea ice extent threatens the habitat, food sources, and breeding behavior of most penguin species that inhabit Antarctica,' the authors state. 'Consequently, some Antarctic penguin populations are already declining, and some species could be nearly extinct by the end of the 21st century.' Among the world's 18 penguin species, 11 are globally threatened, according to BirdLife International. The Adelie penguins that Boyer studied, however, are one of the few species whose Antarctic population is experiencing an increase in numbers. But if these poo clouds are less reflective than the ice beneath it, they may trap heat close to Earth's surface and cause temperatures to rise, Boyer told the Washington Post. Getting to the bottom of these impacts is important because local changes in Antarctica and the Arctic can affect the whole world, particularly in terms of sea level rise. 'The oceans and the penguins are influencing the atmosphere and actually influencing the local climate in Antarctica,' Boyer told the Washington Post. 'The local changes in Antarctica will have an impact on global climate.'
