Warming decimates Antarctica’s emperor penguin chicks

 

 

 "To survive on their own, chicks must develop waterproof feathers, a process known as fledging that typically starts in mid-December and lasts a couple of weeks.

But the ice in Bellingshausen Sea colonies started to give way last year in late November.

“The ice will break up, disintegrating or breaking into floes which float away,” Fretwell explained.

“Chicks that go into the water will likely drown, but even if they manage to get back out they will probably freeze to death,” he added.

“If they manage to stay on icebergs, we assume most of them will drift away and starve as the parents will not be able to find them,” Fretwell said."

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Warming decimates Antarctica’s emperor penguin chicks | Climate Crisis News | Al Jazeera: