Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist reveals how penguins help drive cloud formation over Antarctica

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

When you think of penguins, you might imagine adorable black-and-white birds waddling across icy landscapes. But a surprising new study published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment reveals that penguins might also be helping to form clouds that could influence climate change.

Adélie penguins, a species found only in Antarctica, eat a diet rich in fish and krill. This high-protein menu results in poop, or guano, that’s not just smelly but chemically active, releasing ammonia gas into the atmosphere.

That ammonia reacts with sulfur-containing gases in the air, creating tiny particles which give water vapor something to cling to, helping clouds to form.

The researchers set up instruments near a colony of 60,000 penguins. They found that when the wind carried air from the colony, ammonia levels were up to 1,000 times higher than normal. Even after the penguins moved on, the leftover guano kept producing ammonia. The scientists also noticed more fog, likely caused by the increased aerosol particles shortly after these ammonia spikes.

The findings confirmed that penguin poop significantly boosts the formation of clouds, by up to 10,000X.

Clouds play a major role in our planet’s climate. Over the ocean, clouds typically have a cooling effect. Over Antarctica’s bright, reflective ice, however, the impact can be more complex. In some cases, clouds may trap heat, warming the surface below.

Scientists are still figuring out exactly how penguin-made clouds influence temperatures, but understanding these natural systems is critical to improving climate models.

One fascinating idea raised by this study is that declining penguin populations, due to climate change, could actually reduce cloud formation, which might in turn make warming even worse.

And while it’s still too early to know how big of a role penguin poop plays in Earth’s climate, researchers believe it’s another important piece of the climate puzzle and a reminder why protecting penguin colonies isn’t just about saving the birds, it might also help protect the planet.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.