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Penguins Woes a Sign of Environmental Trouble
From Argentina to New Zealand and from Africa to Antarctica, the world's penguins are in trouble. And that, say scientists, is a sign of even deeper environmental distress.
Professor P. Dee Boersma, a conservation biologist, has been watching penguins for more than 25 years. In a new study she just published, Boersma expresses concern that penguin populations worldwide are shrinking quickly. Even penguin populations that live in very remote locations, far away from people, are getting smaller, she said.
Scientists estimate that there are between 16 to 19 species of penguins. Of these, about a dozen are in some form of trouble.
There are several reasons why penguins are having a harder time breeding. These reasons include pollution, offshore oil drilling, and commercial fishing operations that deplete their food supplies. Now global warming is starting to affect the penguins' habitats as well. As sea ice melts due to increased temperatures, other marine animals that the penguins eat are disappearing. As a result, the penguins have to work a lot harder every day to find food. Some penguins are swimming 40 miles more per day than they used to in order find food to eat.
As a result of global warming, Boersma wrote, "We are changing the world." She hopes that her research will draw attention to the penguin problem before it's too late.
I'm Adelbert and that's what happened in science this week!
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