Cool Penguins Action Are Reducing Climate Change In Antarctica
Penguins action are reducing climate change in Antarctica and this can slow down the effects of Global warming in the region, but how is it possible?
Ammonia released by Penguins guano can help in cloud formation hence may help in reducing the effects of climate change, according to the analysis published in communications Earth and Environment.
The conclusion is taken measurements downwind of a colony of Adelie Penguins.
Antarctica as a continent is valuable for our survival and also consists of the most amount of freshwater present on Earth, it’s a natural refrigerator for Earth and hence we cannot afford to lose the ice due to rising impacts of climate change.
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How Penguins Action Are Reducing Climate Change In Antarctica?
The penguins are extremely fascinating creatures and they survive in the colder regions of Earth like Antarctica which is covered of ice and mysteries, and today Antarctica is facing the wrath of extreme climate change and rise of global warming which are accelerated by anthropogenic activities.
- Climate change at a severe level can melt down all the Glaciers that preserve a lot of Freshwater of Earth and it’s already melting at a high rate especially the western Antarctica
- Penguins are suffering because of recent decline in sea-ice area which can also lead to sea level rise affecting our coastal regions
- Apart from Penguins, there are also seabirds, who emit a large amount of ammonia, and this ammonia can further react with chemicals like sulfur to increase creation of the aerosols – the particles which give water vapor a surface to condense upon and further leading to the cloud formation
These clouds act as insulating layers in the atmosphere often leading to a reduction in the overall surface temperatures and affecting the extent of sea ice coverage.
Till now, we are not completely flexible enough with our research to know the relation between Antarctica’s climate and Penguins living there and how they both interact with each other.
- There is a small observation though, when wind started flowing into the direction of 60,000 individual Adelie Penguins colony around 8 km away, at that time the ammonia concentration increased up to 13.5 parts per billion (more than 1000 times of the baseline value)and less than 10.5 times parts per trillion – When ammonia mixes with dimethylamine (DNA), also found in penguin poop, aerosol formation increases by 10,000 times
- The ammonia was still 100 times more than baseline value even when in February the penguins migrated from the regions, as the penguin guano, left the colony site but still continued to emit the gas
- Now, to confirm whether ammonia concentration still affected the aerosol particle concentration, several other atmospheric measurements were recorded by authors
- Ammonia from guano reacts with sulfur-containing gases emitted by marine phytoplankton forming aerosol particles that seed clouds
- These clouds reflect the sunlight and help in cooling down the surface, this is a process that can help down slowing the glacial melt and sea-ice melt
- The lead author also expressed that there is a deep connection between ecosystem processes – being ocean phytoplankton activities as well as penguins and atmospheric processes that can have an impact on the nearby environment and the local climate.
The low thick clouds created by these aerosols reflect sunlight (helping in cooling), but if clouds are too thin or even higher than, they may trap heat too.
Antarctica plays a crucial role in stabilizing global temperatures, acting as heat buffer, a carbon sink and engine behind ocean currents according to Antarctica and Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition and it’s currently one of the fastest warming regions on the planet.
The Penguin Power Table
| Measurement | Value during Penguin Presence | Value after Migration (February) |
| Ammonia Concentration | 13.5 parts per billion (around 1,000x baseline) | It is 1.3 parts per billion (100x baseline) |
| Aerosol Particle Growth | 30nm+ (this is the Cloud-seeding size) | There is a sustained growth from leftover guano |
| Key Location | Marambio Base, Seymour Island | In the Antarctic Peninsula (Fastest warming) |
FAQ’s On Penguins Action Are Reducing Climate Change In Antarctica
How does penguins poop help cool the planet?
Penguin guano poop releases a lot of ammonia, and this reacts with sulfuric gases in the atmosphere from ocean plankton to create tiny particles called aerosols and these are seeds for water vapor which attaches to aerosols, forming white clouds that reflect heat into space, cooling down the place.
Are penguins enough to stop global warming?
No, while penguins help in aerosol formation, which helps in localized cooling in the region but it cannot stop rapid global warming and the rise of GHGs into the atmosphere triggered by humans.
What happens if penguins migrate?
Cloud seeding continues even after February since a few frozen guanos continue to emit ammonia for months and it’s a study done by Marambio Base.
Do all penguins contribute to cloud formation?
To trigger cloud formation the ammonia concentration needs to be high and all the penguins that live in large colonies like Adelie, Chinstrap, Chintoo, and scattered groups have a lower impact but there is a measurable atmospheric impact.
Does climate change affect this poop-cloud cycle?
Yes, due to climate change, the penguin moves towards the south. The natural cooling system weakens when they move away and go away from regions where phytoplankton are active, lowering effects of ammonia and cloud formation.
Conclusion On Penguins Action Are Reducing Climate Change In Antarctica
Antarctica is highly influenced by climate change accelerated by humans as of today, but do you know that not only do we humans contribute to climate change but even buildings contribute to climate change.
It’s very urgent for us to take care of our surroundings and especially we need to control our actions in order to prevent and mitigate climate change as they might even worsen the situation of the planet and this may aggressively affect the entire ecosystems present on Earth.
We only have 1 Earth, let’s save it from our brutal unnecessary actions.
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