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Poop scoop: Satellite images show colonies of Antarctic penguins haunts

British scientists say there are more emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica than previously thought

By FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press
Published: August 5, 2020, 8:41pm
2 Photos
Markings points to a patch of penguin guano on a satellite image captured in August 2019.
Markings points to a patch of penguin guano on a satellite image captured in August 2019. (Copernicus Sentinel-2/ESA) Photo Gallery

BERLIN — British scientists say there are more emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica than previously thought based on evidence of bird droppings spotted from space.

A study published Wednesday by scientists at the British Antarctic Survey counted 61 emperor penguin colonies dotted around the southernmost continent, 11 more than the number previously confirmed.

Scientists used images from Europe’s Sentinel-2 satellite mission to look for smudges on the ice that indicated large amounts of guano, or penguin poop.

The majestic emperor penguin breeds in remote areas where temperatures can drop as low as minus 58 degrees. Researchers have long relied on aerial photographs and satellites to spot colonies of the flightless marine birds.

Peter Fretwell, a British Antarctic Survey geographer and the study’s lead author, called the latest count “good news” but noted that the newly spotted colonies were small.

“(They) only take the overall population count up by 5-10 percent to just over half a million penguins or around 265,500 to 278,500 breeding pairs,” he said.

Emperor penguins are vulnerable to the loss of sea ice predicted to occur because of man-made global warming. Some researchers suggest the number of colonies could drop by more than 30 percent by the end of the century. Some of the newly discovered colonies are far offshore, on sea ice that has formed around grounded icebergs and which is particularly at risk of disappearing.

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