. According to scientists from Australia, America, and Britain, the Ross Sea was an unlikely refuge for one of the three remaining population of the emperor penguins. Researchers looked into how climate change has affected the emperor penguin population over the past years and found the Ross Sea to be a refuge for the species for many thousands of years. The majority of the continent was uninhabitable during the last ice age. This occurred between 110,000 and 12,000 years. An emperor penguin group resting, preening near a tide crack in ice near Gould Bay colony. (Credit: Dr. Tom Hart). The researchers published their findings in Global Change Biology. Citation below. They concluded that current climate conditions are likely to be optimal for emperor penguins. These conditions were not possible in the past, when large numbers of them could die. Researchers from Oxford, Tasmania, and Southampton led the study of the genetic diversity of ancient and current emperor penguins in Antarctica. Adventure Network International supported the expedition. An Emperor penguin that is adapted to harsh environments. The Antarctic winter sees the emperor penguin breeding on sea ice, which can often drop to below degC. Gemma Glucas (University of Southampton), was one of the leading authors. Gemma Glucas and her colleagues found that penguins lived in harsh conditions during the ice age. The population of these birds had approximately one-seventh of its current size. They were then divided into three refugee groups. One population of emperor penguins survived the last Ice Age, thousands of years thanks to the Ross Sea. According to Mr. Glucas, penguins couldn’t breed more than a handful of locations in Antarctica because there was twice the amount of sea ice at the time. Researchers believe that the distances between the ocean where penguins live and the stable seaice where they breed was too great. Researchers discovered that the Ross Sea emperor penguins are genetically different from the other species of emperor penguins on the continent. Jane Younger from the Australian Institute for Marine and Antarctic Sciences was co-lead author. She said that their research shows that emperor penguins that breed in the Ross Sea today are genetically distinct from other emperor penguins on the continent. Scientists pointed out that changes in winds linked to climate change have actually increased winter sea ice rather than decreased it over the last few decades. However, this pattern is expected to change by the end for century. The University of Oxford’s Dr. Tom Hart was one of the researchers of this study. He said that it is fascinating to see the Ross Sea as an isolated population, and thus a refuge, for the species. This adds to the argument for special protection of the Ross Sea. Citation: “Too many of a good, emperor penguins may have been forced into refugia by sea ice during the last glacial maximum,” Jane L. Younger and Gemma V. Clucas. Global Change Biology. Publication online: March 1, 2015. DOI: 10.1111/gcb. 12882.
