Context:

According to recent study, up to 10,000 emperor penguin chicks across four colonies in Antarctica’s Bellingshausen Sea may have died as the sea ice underneath their breeding grounds melted and broke apart in late 2022.

About Emperor Penguins:

• Emperor Penguins are the largest penguins on Earth. 
• They live in Antarctica, the coldest habitat on Earth. 
• The emperor penguin’s body has a thick layer of blubber insulated by a thick layer of down covered by feathers.
• IUCN Status: Near Threatened

Reason for Failure of Breeding 

• Antarctic Sea Ice Decline: Since 2016, the Antarctic sea ice extent — the total region with at least 15% sea-ice cover — has been shrinking with the total area of frozen water around the continent reducing to new record low levels almost every year. 
  • Impact: This puts more than 90% of emperor penguin colonies at risk as they may go extinct by the end of this century, if Earth continues to get warmer at the present rate.
  • Stable sea ice in the emperor penguin breeding cycle is crucial for their breeding.
• Drop in Sea Ice: Although it’s currently the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere, ice growth has been really slow in Antarctica.
• Decline in Ice Sheet: Decline in the ice sheet causes a spike in sea surface temperatures as sea ice reflects solar rays back into space and thwarts heat from getting absorbed in the oceans.
• Antarctic Sea Ice Variability: Climate models show very large variability in Antarctic sea ice, because the models generally struggle to simulate the past changes in Antarctic sea ice.

News Source: The Indian Express