Penguin poo could save the planet.
Penguin poo could save the Earth
Scientists have warned that a decline in the birds' population has limited the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide and prevent global warming.
Chinstrap penguins play a "crucial role" in maintaining iron levels in the sea by defecating in and near water but a 50 per cent fall in their population since the 1980s is putting Earth at risk.
Experts at the Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia in Spain said: "These seabirds are a relevant contributor to the iron remobilisation pool in the Southern Ocean.
"Chinstrap penguin guano - and potentially that from other penguin species - plays a crucial role in iron cycling.
"Declining penguin numbers may threaten this further."
Professor Mark Moore, of Southampton University, explained that penguins "act as a kind of reservoir" by pumping their faeces into the water.
The flightless birds then "move it around" to iron-deprived areas which helps stimulate the growth of new plankton that can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide.