Photo: enovosty
Antarctica is on the brink of an environmental crisis, with emperor penguins and several marine mammals now officially listed as threatened due to rapid ice loss and food shortages driven by ocean warming, according to The New York Times.
Vanishing ice
For emperor penguins, sea ice is essential for breeding and molting. Without it, survival becomes impossible. Satellite data shows alarming declines: in the Ross Sea, some colonies have shrunk by a third in just four years. As ice disappears, so does their prey, pushing the species toward collapse.
Starvation and disease
The situation is even more severe for fur seals, whose population has dropped from around two million to under one million since 2014. As warming oceans push krill deeper, females struggle to feed their young, leading to массова mortality. Commercial fishing adds further pressure.
Elephant seals have also been hit hard. Alongside melting ice, outbreaks of avian influenza have wiped out more than 30% of key populations since 2023. Previously, cold conditions limited the spread of such viruses, but warming temperatures are now enabling infections to reach polar regions.
Scientists warn that Antarctica is under unprecedented stress, with its fragile ecosystem at risk of irreversible collapse.
