Back in the mid-‘90s I traveled to Antarctica specifically to see emperor penguins. One of two spots we visited was the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf. This photograph shows an adult emperor penguin standing among several small chicks that died and are lying in the ice. One of the visiting scientists told me that a warm spell had brought rain, instead of snow, just shortly after they hatched. Rain is almost certain death for new hatchlings; their fuzzy feather coats are no match for soggy, wet conditions.
Was this an early sign of the warming climate we’re all experiencing today? I can’t say for sure, but this scene is a reminder that we’re all in this together. For more information on how a warming climate is affecting our polar regions, please visit Polar Bears International. If you have an interest in helping me continue to document climate change issues, you can DONATE to the Arctic Documentary Project (ADP). ADP is a fiscally sponsored project of Polar Bears International (PBI). Contributions to the project are processed by PBI in support of the project.