Research on Penguins Completed by Royal Navy in South Atlantic

Climate changes and its impact on penguins have guided the Royal Navy to set sail to tour various British Overseas Territory remote South Sandwich Islands located in the southern Atlantic Ocean. These islands are home to an estimated 3 million penguins.

As the Royal Navy only calls at these islands once a decade, studies and research from this trip are to help scientists better understand the environment and impact of the global natural occurrence of climate change affecting the animals.

Director of Fisheries and Environment, Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Dr. Mark Belchier stated, “The opportunity to visit any of the South Sandwich islands to conduct research on penguins – or any other species – is incredibly limited,” he continued, “Any additional data that can be collected opportunistically is incredibly valuable in order to determine trends in population sizes for the various species that live there.”