Climate crisis: Satellites spots throng of Emperor penguins from space
High resolution images from a new satellite spotted the distinctive red-brown guano patches the penguin leave on ice. Photograph: British Antarctic Survey
Scientists have spotted a 11 new coloniesof penguins in Antarcticaliftingthe global Emperor population by twentyper cent.
The discoveries were made by the birds' poo, orred-brown guano which hadstained large patches of sea-ice.
TheSentinel-2 spacecraft of theEuropean Union'sBritish Antarctic Survey (BAS) was used toto scour the continent for the activity of the species. It waslaunched in June 2015 and has a resolution of 10 metres.
Close-up satellite image showing penguins in the snow around a foraging crack. Photograph: British Antarctic Survey
Given the severe pressure ontheWhite Continent warms, the discovery comes as a welcome development.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
What specifically came as a surprise were the two of the colonies found far from the coast,living on sea ice that is anchored to grounded icebergs, a location never seen before.
According to Peter Fretwell, who led the research at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS),“The [new colonies] are an exciting discovery.Whilst this is good news, the colonies are small and so only take the overall population count up to just over half a million penguins.”
“Many of the penguin scientists we have talked to were disbelieving, as normally you expect them to be at the coast.” he added while sayingone of the colonies was 112 milesfrom the Antarctic continent.
“The new breeding sites are all in locations where recent model projections suggest emperor penguins will decline. These birds are therefore probably the canaries in the coalmine, we need to watch these sites carefully as climate change will affect this region.” saidPhilip Trathan, another researcher at the British Antarctic Survey.
The availability of sea-ice plays an extremely crucial role in the life of emperor penguins. The animals' numbers will be hit hard by any decrease in it.
The heightened climate crisis has been highlighted by several reports claimingthe global population could crash by a half or more under certain conditions come 2100.
The previous have showqn that there will be an estimate decline of 90 per cent in the known coloniesif no further action is taken to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that drive global heating.