Catastrophe: Thousands of emperor penguin babies drowned in Antarctica

TheHalley Colony, in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica, was until recently the second largest colony of emperor penguins in the world, with nearly 25,000 pairs each year.

But the satellite images studied by the British center ofAntarctic Research (BAS)They showed that in 2016, a year marked by particularly hot and stormy weather, the ice on which the penguins raise their babies gave way, killing almost all the cubs, according to a statement.

This phenomenon has been repeated in 2017 and 2018. As a result, this colony "has almost disappeared," according to BAS.

"We follow the population of this colony and other settlements in the area for 10 years, using high-definition satellite images"He explainedPeter Fretwellfrom BAS."These images have clearly shown a catastrophic failure of reproduction on this site in the last three years", he added.

The research team found a marked increase in the size of a neighboring colony,Dawson Lambton, suggesting that many Halley birds have migrated to a safer place.

According to the expert ofBAS Phil Trathanit is not possible to say without a doubt that melting ice in Halley Bay is linked to climate change."But this failure of reproduction on this site is unprecedented"he remarked.

The emperor is the largest of all penguins, but he is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Their population could decrease by 70% by the end of the century.