How can penguin poop save the planet? #shorts
204What if penguin poop could solve the climate crisis?
No, no, this isn't a joke: penguin droppings, called guano, could actively contribute to climate protection.
This is what a study conducted by scientists at the University of Helsinki reveals.
The study, published on May 22 in the journal Nature, Communications Earth & Environment, explains that guano releases ammonia. By reacting with sulfur-containing gases, ammonia can increase cloud formation. These clouds act as insulating layers, reducing the temperature at the surface of the ice floes and thus slowing the melting of the ice, which threatens the habitat of these animals. To study this effect, the researchers measured the ammonia concentration in the air at a site near the Marambio base in Antarctica between January and March 2023. They found that when the wind blew toward a colony of 60,000 Adélie penguins located a few kilometers away, the ammonia concentration reached more than 1,000 times the reference value. And even after the penguins migrated, this concentration remained more than 100 times higher.
It just goes to show that some excrement can be useful to the planet.