Ueslei Marcelino, a photojournalist with Reuters, recently accompanied a team of scientists on an expedition to Antarctica, where they used drones and manual techniques to count various populations of chinstrap penguins. Reuters reports: “The number of chinstrap penguins in some colonies in Western Antarctica has fallen by as much as 77 percent since they were last surveyed in the 1970s, say scientists studying the impact of climate change on the remote region.” They also quote Steve Forrest, a conservation biologist: “The declines that we’ve seen are definitely dramatic. Something is happening to the fundamental building blocks of the food chain here. We’ve got less food abundance that’s driving these populations down lower and lower over time and the question is, is that going to continue?” Last week, an Argentinian base in Antarctica reported the highest temperature ever recorded on the continent: 64.94 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius).
Documenting Penguin Decline in Antarctica
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Read moreA pair of chinstrap penguins swim near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, on February 2, 2020. The number of chinstraps at one important habitat in the region, Elephant Island, has plummeted by about 60% since the last survey in 1971, to fewer than 53,000 breeding pairs today, the expedition found. #
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Read moreCrew members stand aboard the front of the Greenpeace ship Esperanza near Lemaire Channel on February 5, 2020. #
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Read moreA whale swims near Antarctica's Orne Harbour on February 6, 2020. #
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Read moreAn iceberg floats near Fournier Bay on February 3, 2020. #
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Read moreUsnea Granger, a Greenpeace activist, steers a boat near Quentin Point, Anvers Island, Antarctica, on February 4, 2020. #
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Read moreA chinstrap penguin stands on Snow Island on January 30, 2020. #
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Read moreMichael Wethington, a scientist, collects trash on Snow Island on January 31, 2020. #
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Read moreSteve Forrest, a scientist, counts the number of chinstrap penguins in a colony standing on Anvers Island on February 4, 2020. #
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Read moreA chinstrap penguin jumps into the water on Snow Island on January 30, 2020. #
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Read moreA group of chinstrap penguins walks on top of an iceberg floating near Lemaire Channel on February 6, 2020. #
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Read moreA seal swims among broken pieces of ice near Quentin Point, Anvers Island, on February 4, 2020. #
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Read moreThe moon shines over icebergs near Fournier Bay on February 3, 2020. #
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Read moreGentoo penguins walk along Quentin Point, Anvers Island, on February 4, 2020. #
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Read moreA colony of chinstrap penguins walks along a mountain on Two Hummock Island on February 1, 2020. #
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Read moreGreenpeace activists play in the snow during a day off at Orne Harbour on February 6, 2020. #
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Read moreA colony of gentoo penguins stands on Snow Island on January 31, 2020. #
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Read moreA seal reacts on Snow Island on January 30, 2020. #
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Read moreAn iceberg floats near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, on February 2, 2020. #
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Read moreGentoo penguins stand together on Snow Island on January 31, 2020. #
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Read moreA colony of chinstrap penguins gathers on Anvers Island on February 4, 2020. #
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Read moreA view of a glacier and mountain seen from Fournier Bay, Antarctica, on February 3, 2020. #
Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters
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