As sea ice has declined off the West Antarctic Peninsula, scientists expected to see declines in ice-dwelling Adélie penguins (pictured left) and increases in chinstrap penguins (right), which forage in ice-free waters. However, Wayne Trivelpiece and his colleagues at the US National Marine Fisheries Service in La Jolla, California, say there is now “overwhelming evidence” that both populations are declining in the region.
The authors' data, which cover populations at two sites over 30 years, suggest that sea-ice losses resulting from climate change have reduced the availability of Antarctic krill, the prey of both birds. If temperatures rise in future, sea ice and krill will decline further, and both species of penguin are likely to follow.
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Sea ice penguin theory sinks. Nature 472, 263 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/472263d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/472263d
