Scientists warn that 90% of the world’s emperor penguins could become extinct in just 80 years if Antarctic melting continues at its current rate.

An alarming study warns that emperor penguins in Antarctica are on the verge of extinction amid rapidly melting sea ice.

Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) claim that 90% of the colonies could be wiped out by the end of the century, based on current trends in global warming.

Their warning follows analysis of stark satellite images from 2022, which indicated that no chicks survived from four of the five known populations breeding near the middle and eastern Bellingshausen Sea.

This failure to provide children represents an unprecedented precedent in the region, and experts believe that the matter will worsen in the coming years.

“We’ve never seen emperor penguins fail to breed to this size in one season,” said Dr Peter Fretwell, Geographic Information Officer at the Foundation.

In the year 2022, four colonies of emperor penguins have failed to reproduce in the central and eastern Bellingshausen Seas in Antarctica.

“The loss of sea ice in this region during the Antarctic summer made it less likely that the displaced chicks would survive

“We know that emperor penguins are extremely vulnerable in warming climates – and current scientific evidence suggests that extreme sea ice loss events like this one will become more frequent and widespread.”

Over the past four years, about 30% of known emperor colonies in Antarctica have been affected by the loss of sea ice.

Each year, these penguins rely on stable sea ice to lay their eggs amid Antarctica’s bitter May-July winter.

While the females then head out to sea, the males stay to incubate the eggs for 65 to 75 days, which means they eat no food at all for about four months.

Even after the eggs have hatched, it is important for the chicks to remain above the sea ice because their first, fluffy feathers are not waterproof.

The chicks are usually fully “ripened” in December or January as these feathers are replaced by a watertight plume.

However, the amount of Antarctic sea ice reached an all-time low in December last year, with the previous record set only a year earlier.

This was most extreme in the Bellingshausen Sea – west of the continent – where emperor penguins in the area were severely affected.

Dr Fretwell also told MailOnline: “Emperor penguins give us a window into this changing ecosystem, and are an indication of the effects that diminishing sea ice will have on the environment.”

This failure to reproduce is unprecedented in the Arctic, and experts believe it will only get worse in the coming years

December last year saw the amount of Antarctic sea ice reach an all-time low, with the previous record set just a year ago.

“These other species will include crab seals, Weddell seals, minke whales and many species of seabirds. But perhaps most importantly, sea ice acts as a nursery for Antarctic krill which develop under the ice in their early life stages.

“Without sea ice, we know we would have less krill, which would affect not only the sea ice area, but the entire Southern Ocean,” he added.

Since December, the problem has worsened, with sea ice extent in August still well below previous averages for this time of year.

Emperor penguins are the most affected by this while other species – such as the Adelie penguin – prefer rocky breeding sites away from the sea.

In light of the findings, Rod Downie, senior polar advisor at WWF, told MailOnline: “Emperor penguins are heading towards extinction unless we act now.”

These vulnerable species need sea ice for their reproductive success, but this year Antarctica lost a million square miles of sea ice compared to the average from 1981 to 2010. I started working in Antarctica in 1997 and I’ve never seen anything like this before.

“Urgent action to reduce the average global temperature rise by approximately 1.5°C, protect the waters around Antarctica teeming with life, and designate emperor penguins as a specially protected species is essential for both the continent and the planet.

“As glaciers retreat and sea levels rise, the effects of global warming will be felt far beyond Antarctica itself.”