11 colonies of emperor penguins discovered in Antarctica thanks to the 'Sentinels of the Earth', the Sentinel 2 satellites of the Copernicus program managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission. Published in the journal Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, the discovery is due to the British Antarctic Survey (Bas), the British organization that deals with research and scientific dissemination on Antarctica. The study, experts explain, is important for studying the impact of climate change on the lives of these Antarctic animals.
Using satellites is essential to study this species, which lives in environments that are difficult to access and characterized by prohibitive temperatures, tens of degrees below zero.
The spots on the ice are the spies of the presence of the penguins (source: Copernicus program, ESA, EU Commission)
Of the 11 new colonies discovered, 3 had already been identified, but never confirmed so far. Thus the number of colonies of emperor penguins on the Antarctic continent rises to 61. According to the study authors, coordinated by geographer Peter Fretwell, there are 20% more colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica than previously thought. "The new colonies are quite small: they only increase the overall population of the Antarctic Emperor penguins by 5-10%, bringing them to a total of just over half a million," said Fretwell.
Map of colonies of emperor penguins in Antarctica (source: British Antarctic Survey)
"It's an exciting discovery," he noted. Monitoring emperor penguins is essential because, he added, “the breeding sites of these animals, including those of the new colonies, are located in regions which, according to climate models, are threatened by global warming and the consequent melting of ice ".