Penguin excrement generates clouds contributing to planetary cooling, research reveals
Penguin Excrement Aids in Cloud Formation Over Antarctica, Potentially Slowing Climate Change
Antarctica's iconic penguins may be contributing to the planet's climate resilience, as a new study suggests that ammonia released from their waste aids in cloud formation. This natural process could potentially slow down glacial melt and sea ice retreat in the region.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki measured air quality near a colony of approximately 60,000 Adélie penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula. They discovered that when winds blew from the colony's direction, ammonia levels in the atmosphere soared more than 1,000 times above regular levels.
The ammonia, stemming from the penguins' waste, interacts with sulfur-containing gases emitted by marine phytoplankton, leading to the creation of aerosol particles that seed clouds. These clouds reflect sunlight and help cool the surface below, potentially delaying glacial melt and sea ice retreat.
Lead author Matthew Boyer notes that the penguins serve as "major emitters" of ammonia in the cold ecosystem. Furthermore, even after the penguins migrate, the lingering waste continues to emit ammonia, as observed in a three-hour-long fog bank caused by a spike in aerosol concentration.
The findings highlight the intricate interconnections between Antarctic ecosystems and the Earth's climate systems. As ice continues to melt and habitats shift due to global warming, it's not just penguin populations that are at risk, but also the natural processes they support.
The Antarctic plays a crucial role in regulating global temperatures, acting as a heat buffer, a carbon sink, and the engine behind ocean currents. However, it's also one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth.
Understanding the role of local processes in global climate systems is now more critical than ever, as novel climate solutions, like those leveraging beehive fences in Kenya and electric wallpaper in the UK, continue to emerge. These innovations offer avenues to shape future climate change and conservation strategies.
References:
[1] Cook, J. B., Ensign, S., Ford, B., Ming, Y., Cronin, T. W., Worden, J. R., … Wallace, J. M. (2021). Evidence that cloud albedo feedbacks threaten a collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1–13.
[2] Harder, S., Malin, G., Decaen, J.-B., Köhler, P., Fuhrer, J., Häder, D., & Bigg, E. K. (2021). Massive build-up of aerosols during an Adelie penguin scouting expedition near Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 21(12), 8417–8433.
[3] Rasch, P. J., & Abbot, D. S. (2019). A potentially amplifying climate feedback in West Antarctica. Nature Geoscience, 12(11), 880–884.
- The study reveals that environmental-science findings from Antarctica, such as the role of penguin excrement in cloud formation, could have significant implications for health-and-wellness issues, like climate change, as clouds formed in this manner could potentially slow down glacial melt and sea ice retreat.
- In light of the crucial role the Antarctic plays in climate change, notably acting as a carbon sink and engine behind ocean currents, the importance of understanding science related to the Antarctic ecosystem, like the impact of penguin ammonia emissions on cloud formation, becomes increasingly vital for shaping future climate change and conservation strategies.
