Antarctica has no shortage of wonders:

cathedral-sized icebergs, endless skies, and more penguins than people by several delightful orders of magnitude. But scientists have recently discovered that these pint-sized comedians of the Southern Ocean are doing far more than waddling around charming visitors. They’re actually helping to cool the continent, with a little help from nature’s byproduct. 

Researchers from the University of Helsinki recently observed a colony of 60,000 Adélie penguins on Seymour Island—near the northernmost tip of the Antarctic Peninsula—and discovered that the gases from penguin poop may help fuel cloud formation. When penguins gather in large colonies, they leave behind guano (or droppings) rich in ammonia, which floats into the atmosphere. Scientists found that the gases from this guano create clouds, which can lower temperatures in the Antarctic. The formations act like giant reflectors, bouncing back sunlight that would otherwise heat the planet. The result is nature’s most adorable atmospheric engineering.

This is not to say Antarctica has been saved by seabird digestive chemistry. Rising ocean temperatures are already squeezing penguin food sources, and some colonies are shrinking. Scientists warn that if penguins decline, this cloudy “climate assist” fades with them, creating a worrying feedback loop. (The cuteness, in other words, is consequential.)

But here’s the good news: because penguins are so deeply tied to their ecosystem, protecting them safeguards much more than a single species. Their success becomes a stand-in for the health and resilience of an entire region, including krill, ice, ocean currents, and more. And unlike so many climate stories that feel impossibly large, this one has a rather small and surprisingly waddly entry point. When we safeguard the wildlife, Antarctica quite literally bounces back.

For travelers, this is part of what makes an expedition to the White Continent so moving: you’re seeing a living ecosystem whose future is still being written. Responsible visits create the awareness and scientific support that help keep these colonies protected, which means more clouds overhead and more penguins thriving on the ice. And that’s news worth celebrating.

Written by Emily Topping

If you’d like to visit these climate protectors for yourself, explore Antarctica here »