New emperor penguin colony found in West Antarctica

Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 29 September 2021 at 17:14:09 UTC
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Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 07 December 2021 at 17:44:29 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 10 November 2022 at 17:03:59 UTC
Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 09 January 2023 at 17:03:59 UTC
Author(s): Sentinel Vision team, VisioTerra, France - svp@visioterra.fr
Keyword(s): Polar, coastal, cryosphere, biodiversity, Antarctica
Fig. 1 - S2 (28.10.2021) - On 20.01.2023, scientists announced they discovered a new emperor penguin colony at Verleger Point in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica.
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The British Antarctic Survey used satellite mapping technology to spot the stains from the penguins' excrement, or guano.
The colonies prefer areas close the sea but protected by the wind and from an early melt. The Emperors breed on sea-ice attached to the coast - so-called "fast ice". They raise their chicks to swim before the sea-ice melts in the austral summer.
Fig. 2 - S2 (29.09.2021 / 28.10.2021 / 07.12.2021) - Different penguin sites showing in 2021.
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Fig. 3 - S2 (10.11.2022 / 26.12.2022 / 09.01.2023) - In 2022, they moved from site A to site B which melted in December.
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The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency or the European Union.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024, processed by VisioTerra.
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