Record low 2022 Antarctic sea ice led to catastrophic breeding failure of emperor penguins

The spring season of 2022 saw record low sea ice extent in Antarctica that persisted throughout the year. At the beginning of December, the Antarctic sea ice extent was tracking with the all-time low set in 2021. The greatest regional negative anomaly of this low extent was in the central and eastern Bellingshausen Sea region, west of the Antarctic Peninsula where, during November, some regions experienced a 100% loss in sea ice concentration. We provide evidence of a regional breeding failure of emperor penguin colonies due to sea ice loss using Sentinel2 satellite imagery. Of the five breeding sites in the region all but one experienced total breeding failure after sea ice break-up before the start of the fledging period of the 2022 breeding season. This is the first recorded incident of a widespread breeding failure of emperor penguins that is clearly linked with large-scale contractions in sea ice extent.

Automated summary

The spring season of 2022 witnessed a record low sea ice extent in Antarctica, leading to breeding failures among emperor penguin colonies. With the help of Sentinel2 satellite imagery, the study provides evidence of this regional decline in sea ice extent and its direct impact on the breeding success of emperor penguins. This is the first documented incident of widespread breeding failure in emperor penguins that can be attributed to large-scale contractions in sea ice extent.