US scientists are studying how global warming affects penguins in Antarctica

Scientists in the United States are studying how climate change is affecting penguins in the icy waters of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. They count penguins to see how global warming is affecting an entire region and specifically these cold-loving species. For scientists, animals themselves are very useful agents of what is happening in the entire ecosystem. Michael is part of this team of scientists. He says Adélie and Gentoo penguins return to the same nesting sites over and over again, which gives a good idea of ​​population numbers from year to year. In contrast, many other Antarctic species live in the ocean, which makes tracking them more difficult. Michael’s team is interested in how to maintain populations of Adélie penguins in the Weddell Sea, an area that has so far warmed more slowly than the rest of the continent and that scientists hope serves as a refuge for many animals in need of a cold. environment. The team collected data from 21 sites, and there’s good news: Adélie’s numbers have been stable over the past decade, even in several large colonies. It was produced faster, and the number of Adelia decreased. Technological advances now also make it possible to monitor penguin colonies from space through high-resolution satellite images.