Long Walk on Shrinking Ice

Emperor penguins make long treks to reach their foraging grounds, sometimes up to 75 miles during the winter. However, diminishing sea ice means they may have less success in finding the fish they need to feed their chicks when they return. WHOI scientist Dan Zitterbart and his colleagues recently published the results of their efforts to determine the foraging success of Emperor penguins by using time-lapse video observations relayed to scientists thousands of miles away. Their work may help understand and predict the impact of global changes on the polar ocean ecosystem and develop measures to protect Emperor penguins. (Photo by Peter Kimball, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)