Penguin Poo’s Unexpected Role in Cooling Antarctica’s Skies.

In a surprising twist in climate science, researchers have discovered that penguin droppings—rich in ammonia—may play a significant role in cooling parts of Antarctica by promoting cloud formation.

The study, published Thursday in Communications Earth & Environment, highlights how emissions from penguin guano, especially ammonia, contribute to the creation of cloud cover above coastal regions of Antarctica. These clouds potentially reflect sunlight and help lower local temperatures during the summer months.

Lead researcher Matthew Boyer, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki, noted that while previous laboratory studies had shown ammonia’s role in cloud formation, its real-world influence in Antarctica had not been quantified until now. “To actually measure this effect and observe it in Antarctica is new,” Boyer explained.

With minimal human pollution and little vegetation—common alternative sources of atmospheric ammonia—Antarctica offers a pristine environment to study natural emission processes. In this setting, penguin colonies emerge as dominant contributors of ammonia through their waste, a pungent mix of feces and urine expelled through their cloacas.

The research focuses on how ammonia from penguin guano interacts with sulfur-rich gases released by phytoplankton—microscopic algae abundant in surrounding waters. This combination fosters the formation of aerosol particles that can develop into cloud droplets.

To investigate this natural phenomenon, Boyer and his team installed monitoring equipment at Argentina’s Marambio Base on Seymour Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Over the course of three summer months, when penguin activity and phytoplankton blooms are at their peak, the team tracked wind patterns, ammonia levels, and aerosol concentrations.

They found that when winds originated from a nearby colony of approximately 60,000 Adelie penguins, ammonia concentrations in the atmosphere surged to 13.5 parts per billion—around a thousand times the typical background levels. Remarkably, even after the penguins had migrated for the season, ammonia levels remained about 100 times higher than normal, as the guano-laden terrain continued to emit gases.

Cloud-seeding particles also increased sharply during these periods, occasionally thick enough to produce visible fog. Chemical analysis traced the ammonia directly back to penguin guano.

Boyer described the effect as a “synergistic process” between penguins and phytoplankton, amplifying the formation of atmospheric particles. The study suggests that declining penguin numbers could reduce this cloud-forming process, potentially adding to regional warming—though the authors caution that this remains a hypothesis requiring further study.

While clouds typically help cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight, their effect can vary depending on surface conditions. Over reflective surfaces like ice sheets, added cloud cover may instead trap heat, making the overall impact complex.

Still, the findings underscore a profound link between living organisms and atmospheric dynamics. “It’s another reminder of how deeply ecosystems and climate processes are interconnected,” said Boyer, emphasizing the importance of biodiversity and conservation.

Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-05-climate-power-penguin-poo.html

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.