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> Scientists have recorded significant decreases in sea ice around Antarctica since 2016. While there have been small rebounds in recent years, they remain far
by NotYourLawyer 3y ago
> Scientists have recorded significant decreases in sea ice around Antarctica since 2016. While there have been small rebounds in recent years, they remain far below the record high of 2014.
The record high was only nine years ago? That seems like a weird fact, and it needs some explaining. Also, the first sentence:
> no chicks surviving the spring of 2022 in four of five colonies observed for a new study
Is waaaaay more alarmist than the later reveal of “about 30 per cent of emperor penguin colonies across the Antarctic coastline had been impacted by the low sea ice.” The first sentence makes it sound like they’re gonna be extinct in a year or two. 70% of the colonies being totally unaffected is a much different story.
Anyway, this is still an important story. But the authors are doing themselves no favors running around with their hair on fire like this.
- gyanreyer 3y ago30% of the entire penguin population is a massive number though. That's tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of penguins affected. If we wait for a problem to have to affect more than 50% before we worry then it'll already be long past a lost cause.
- NotYourLawyer 3y agoNot 30% of the population. Not 30% dead. It’s 30% of colonies affected.