Cow burps may contribute to climate change—but it turns out penguin droppings may do the reverse. New research shows that ammonia released from penguin colonies via their guano could actually help cool Antarctica by boosting cloud formation. For their analysis published in Communications Earth & Environment, researchers measured air near Marambio Base between January and March 2023. When winds came from the direction of a colony of 60,000 Adelie penguins 5 miles away, the air’s ammonia concentration skyrocketed: generally 10.5 parts per trillion, it surged 1,000 times to 13.5 parts per billion.
The uptick remained significant even after the birds migrated for the season; guano at the colony continuing to give off ammonia, pushing levels 100 times greater than the baseline. A press release explains the science: Ammonia interacts with sulfur-containing gases to generate aerosol particles that “give water vapor a surface to condense upon,” ultimately forming clouds. These clouds can act as an insulating layer that helps lower surface temperatures and maintain sea ice cover. As part of the study, the researchers confirmed that when the wind blew from the colony, the aerosol particle count did increase, and that fog set in.
As for why there is so much ammonia in their guano, the Washington Post explains the birds’ diet of fish and krill result in large amounts of nitrogen in their waste that breaks down into ammonia. “There are connections between things that happen on our natural planet that we just don’t necessarily expect,” lead author Matthew Boyer tells the Post. “And this is one of them.” (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)