ANTÁRTICA: Penguin colony repeatedly decimated by volcanic eruptions

Researchers have found that one of the biggest gentoo penguin colonies in Antarctica was repeatedly decimated by eruptions of the nearby Deception Island volcano over the last 7,000 years. The penguin guano in sediment cores from a lake near the colony on Ardley Island gave them clues of how the penguin population on the island changed over time. 

Over the last 15-20 years, our British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Palaeo Environments, Ice Sheets and Climate Change team have been working with several international collaborators to examine the impact of past climate change on terrestrial glaciers and biodiversity of the Antarctic Peninsula region and elsewhere in Antarctica. 

This study forms part of ongoing research projects at BAS and is part of our contribution to the international EU-funded IMCONET research program, an interdisciplinary research network aiming to understand the consequences of Climate Change in coastal Western Antarctica.