Thriving Antarctic wildlife faces rising climate change risks

Adelie penguins stand on a block of floating ice at Yalour Islands in Antarctica, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.

The Southern Ocean, one of Earth’s most remote regions, is far from tranquil. Towering waves along the Antarctic Peninsula create a constant roar, where vast blue waters meet brilliant white ice.

Tourists in bright red jackets navigate the Lemaire Channel, nicknamed the “Kodak Gap” for its striking cliffs and ice formations. Armed with binoculars, they spot orcas, seals, and penguins, witnessing a fragile ecosystem increasingly affected by climate change.

The Antarctic Peninsula is among the fastest-warming regions on the planet. Its surrounding waters act as a major carbon sink, absorbing about 40% of human-generated CO₂, according to NOAA. Rising temperatures threaten to reshape the region’s wildlife and landscapes.

Gentoo penguins, recognizable by their orange beaks and white eye patches, appear to be thriving, shifting farther south, nesting on exposed rocks, and hunting in open water. In contrast, ice-dependent Adelie penguins face mounting challenges, with studies projecting that 60% of their colonies could vanish by 2100 due to warming waters reducing food supply and safe resting areas. Between 2002 and 2020, Antarctica lost an estimated 149 billion metric tons of ice annually, according to NASA.

For visitors, Antarctica remains a vast glacial wilderness. In the treacherous Drake Passage, orcas swim through narrow channels, and Pintado petrels glide overhead.

Yet these scenes may change dramatically in coming decades. Expanding Gentoo colonies, shrinking ice sheets, and growing patches of exposed rock highlight the profound impact of climate change on this remote and delicate ecosystem.