A study conducted by the U.S. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that global warming could reduce the population of the emperor penguin in Antarctica by at least 20 percent.
The study cited the reduction of sea ice, upon which the penguins live and breed.
This research was the first to look at the long-term effects of climate change for emperor penguins - the largest species of penguins, which can grow as tall as 1.2 meters. The study also shed light on how climate change affected the local fauna of one of the planet's remotest ecosystem.
Overall, the researchers reported that the population projection would decrease by 19 percent by 2100, as more sea ice continues melting.
"It's not happy news for the emperor penguin," Hal Castellan of the U.S. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a co-author of the study, told Reuters.
Emperor penguins were observed huddling together to keep both each other and their eggs warm.
Aside from presenting population projections, the study also called upon different governments to include the bird in their endangered species list. This comes despite projections stating that populations will rise by 2050, before dipping into a decline 50 years later. Adding the emperor penguin on the list of endangered species might help restore its population by protecting them from fishing companies and tourism.
The researchers noted 18 types of penguins whose populations were in danger of extinction. Emperor penguins were included in the list of stable species while the population of adelie, king, and chinstrap penguins were noted to increase.
The impact of climate change was more documented for polar bears than it was on penguins. This was despite the fact that penguins were just as threatened as polar bears.
Further details of the study were published in the June 30 issue of Nature Climate Change.
