Scientists warn 90% of the world’s Emperor penguins could die out in just 80 years if the Antarctic keeps melting at its current rate

Antarctica’s emperor penguins are on the brink of extinction due to rapid melting of sea ice, an alarming study warns.

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) claim that 90 percent of the colonies could be wiped out by the end of the century, based on current trends in global warming.

Their warning follows the analysis of stark satellite images from 2022, which showed that four of the five known groups breeding near the central and eastern Bellingshausen Sea had no chicks surviving.

This inability to produce offspring is an unprecedented first for the region – and experts believe it will only get worse in the years to come.

“We’ve never seen emperor penguins fail to breed on this scale in one season,” said Dr Peter Fretwell, geographic information officer at the institute.

‘The loss of sea ice in this region during the Antarctic summer made it very unlikely that displaced chicks would survive

“We know that emperor penguins are highly vulnerable in a warming climate – and current scientific evidence suggests that this type of extreme sea ice loss will become more frequent and widespread.”

Over the past four years, about 30 percent of Antarctica’s known imperial colonies have been affected by sea ice loss.

Each year, these penguins rely on stable sea ice to lay their eggs in the midst of Antarctica’s bitterly cold winter, which stretches from May to July.

While the females then head to the sea, the males stay to incubate the eggs for 65 to 75 days, meaning they eat no food at all for about four months.

Even once the eggs have hatched, it’s important that the chicks stay on the sea ice because their first fluffed feathers aren’t waterproof.

Usually the chicks “fly out” completely in December or January, as these feathers are replaced by a waterproof plume.

However, the extent of Antarctic sea ice reached an all-time low in December last year, while the previous record was only set a year earlier.

This was most extreme in the Bellingshausen Sea – west of the continent – ​​where the region’s emperor penguins were badly affected.

“Emperor penguins give us a glimpse into this changing ecosystem and are an indicator of the effects that shrinking sea ice will have on the environment,” said Dr. Fretwell also to MailOnline.

This inability to breed marks an unprecedented first for the Arctic and experts believe it will only get worse in the years to come

In December last year, the extent of Antarctic sea ice reached an all-time low, while the previous record was set just a year earlier

“These other species include crabeaters, Weddell seals, minke whales and several species of seabirds. But perhaps more importantly, the sea ice acts as a nursery for Antarctic krill, which develop under the ice in its early life stages.

“Without the sea ice, we know we’ll have less krill, which will affect not only the sea ice zone, but the entire southern ocean.”

Since December, the problem has only gotten worse, with August sea ice extent still well below the previous average for this time of year.

Emperor penguins are the hardest hit, while other species – such as the Adélie penguin – prefer rocky nesting sites far from the sea.

In light of these findings, Rod Downie, WWF’s chief polar adviser, also told MailOnline: ‘Emperor penguins are on the verge of extinction unless we act now.

“These vulnerable species need sea ice for their reproductive success, but this year Antarctica has lost a whopping one million square miles of sea ice, compared to the average from 1981 to 2010. I started working in Antarctica in 1997, and I never experienced before.

“Urgent action to limit the average global temperature rise to nearly 1.5°C, to protect the life-filled waters around Antarctica and to designate emperor penguins as Specially Protected Species is essential for both the continent and the planet.

“As glaciers recede and sea levels rise, the effects of global warming will be felt far beyond Antarctica itself.”