Penguin stool source Antarctic cloud formation

Penguin colonies throughout Antarctica are actually changing the weather, and it’s all about their feces.

New research shows that the ammonia of penguin guano produces a large number of hot spots of atmospheric particles, which have the seed clouds and affect regional climate patterns. Scientists who measured 30,000 pairs of air chemistry near Adelie penguin colonies found that ammonia concentrations were comparable to farmland, while fertilized soil continued to pump out climate-changing gases for months after bird migration. This discovery connects Antarctic ecosystems with atmospheric processes to reshape our understanding of polar climate dynamics.

Ammonia on ice

The team established complex atmospheric monitoring equipment near the Marambio Station on the Antarctic Peninsula to colonize subwind directly from the main penguin breeding. They found it even surprised experienced atmospheric chemists.

As the wind blows from the penguin colony, ammonia concentrations soar to 135 parts per billion – comparable to fertilized farmland. Ammonia is almost impossible to detect from other wind directions, including the Southern Ocean.

But here is the interesting thing: penguins left their breeding farm halfway through the study, but the ammonia kept emitting landscape. The guano-rich soil scientists call “the soil produced by birds” continues to release atmospheric chemicals, more than a month after the last penguin leaves.

Cloud Connection

It’s not just about the waste of stinky birds. The ammonia of penguin colonies binds to the sulfuric acid of marine microorganisms, creating new atmospheric particles through a process called nucleation. These tiny particles eventually grow into cloud condensation nuclei – water droplets form the seeds of clouds.

On an amazing day in February 2023, researchers watched the process unfold in real time. Strong particle formation events produced over 16,000 particles per cubic centimeter, which grew within six hours, directly leading to fog formation.

Key research results:

• The air affected by penguins shows up to 13.5 ppb of ammonia
• When wind comes from penguin colonies, particle formation happens almost completely
• Compared with bird colonies, the contribution of ocean sources is negligible
• The enhanced particle formation rate exceeds the theoretical prediction of 1-4 orders of magnitude
• New particles successfully activated into cloud droplets during fog event

Chemistry cocktails of clouds

The story becomes more complicated when you examine the atmospheric chemistry in detail. Although Penguin’s Ammonia plays the leading role, it is supported by other compounds that enhance the cloud seed process.

Dimethylamine may also originate from penguin guano and is a powerful accelerator. The particle formation rate of such compounds can also increase the particle formation rate by up to 10,000 times when the concentration of ammonia is below only.

The study reveals what scientists call the “multicomponent nucleation mechanism”—which is much more efficient to create atmospheric particles with different chemicals that any single compound can manage individually.

Climate feedback cycle

This finding has profound implications for understanding the Antarctic climate system, especially when the region faces rapid environmental changes.

Penguin populations are already declining due to sea ice loss and habitat changes. Some species may face extinction at the end of the century. If fewer penguins mean less atmospheric ammonia, then cloud formation can be reduced and regional climate patterns can be changed, creating a feedback loop where climate change accelerates itself.

The researchers found that these coastal ammonia hotspots could affect atmospheric conditions far beyond their vicinity. Although gaseous ammonia has a short atmospheric lifespan as a day, it helps create particles that can last for several days and travel across the Southern Ocean and Antarctica continents.

Rethinking the remote atmosphere

This study challenges atmospheric processes in the pristine environment. Despite the presence of sulfuric acid in marine organisms, scientists have long troubled why new particles occur rarely in remote ocean areas.

The answer may be the availability of ammonia. Without penguin colonies that provide ammonia (e.g. penguin colonies), chemical conditions required for effective pellet formation are not present in most parts of the South.

The study also highlights the real situation of interconnected Antarctic ecosystems. Marine phytoplankton produces sulfur compounds, and penguins provide ammonia, whose chemical marriage in the atmosphere affects cloud formation throughout the vast area.

Antarctic changes

Antarctica is experiencing some of the fastest environmental changes on Earth. Over the past decade, sea ice range has begun to decline and ice shelves are shrinking, and these changes are already affecting Southern Ocean biology and penguin populations.

As conditions continue to shift, understanding these ecosystem-atmospheric connections becomes crucial. Research shows that penguins have not only charismatic wildlife—they actively participate in the climate system, helping to regulate atmospheric processes that affect regional and potential global weather patterns.

As Antarctic ecosystems face increasing pressure, this study reveals another layer of complexity in how polar regions will respond to continuous warming. The clouds above Antarctic may depend more on the creatures below than anyone previously thought.