Adélie penguins

The Adélie penguin is a sea-ice obligate species so ocean habitats in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica are crucial during all stages of the species annual cycle. Changes in wind, temperature, and associated sea ice patterns in some of the more northern regions of the species range in are causing reductions in the size and distribution of Adélie penguin breeding colonies. Research data may help estimate population-level vital rates that produce population change, and attempt to understand the ecological factors that affect vital rates. The southern Ross Sea in Antarctica has experienced a much smaller human footprint than other regions on the planet, so the research provides a unique and invaluable opportunity to disentangle climate change effects from anthropogenic influences for a species sensitive to predicted environmental changes.