In an unexpected discovery, scientists have found that penguin droppings or guano may be helping cool Antarctica by triggering cloud formation that reflects sunlight away from Earth. The new study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, shows that ammonia released from penguin colonies significantly boosts the formation of cloud-seeding aerosols over coastal Antarctica. Researchers led by atmospheric scientist Matthew Boyer from the University of Helsinki found that guano from Adélie penguins emits ammonia gas, which combines with sulphur-based compounds from phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean to create particles that form low-lying clouds.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/