Record sea ice melt in Antarctica doomed thousands of penguin chicks to a watery grave

Emperor penguin chicks emerge from their eggs in the coldest days of Antarctica’s winter. For the first months of their lives the birds are defenseless gray fluffballs, seeking warmth at their parents’ feet or in protective scrums at the center of their colony.

Unlike their parents, whose sleek black-and-white feathers seal their skin against the frigid ocean, chicks’ downy plumage isn’t waterproof. They must stay atop the ice and away from the sea until their watertight feathers emerge, typically around four months after hatching.

By this time it’s December, and summer is arriving in Antarctica. The ice soon breaks up for the season, and the colony’s newest members can safely follow the adults