Climate change and overfishing could push the region’s king penguin populations to the brink of extinction, a new study showsAntarctica's king penguins 'could disappear' by the end of the centuryRising temperatures and overfishing in the pristine waters around the Antarctic could see king penguin populations pushed to the brink of extinction by the end of the century, according to a new study. The report, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that as global warming transforms the environment in the world’s last great wilderness 70% of king penguins could either disappear or be forced to find new breeding grounds. But today’s report is the starkest warning yet of the potentially devastating impact of climate change and human exploitation on the Antarctic’s delicate eco-systems. This means that king penguins, that feed on fish and krill in this body of water, have to travel further to their feeding grounds leaving their hungry chicks for longer. Experts say it would also help mitigate the effects of climate change, soaking up huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it away in deep-sea sediments.

Source: The Guardian February 26, 2018 16:41 UTC