(Image source from: allthatsinteresting.com)

Given that penguins consume sources of nitrogen-rich diet, i.e., fish and krill, they are releasing nitrous oxide into the environment.

Danish researchers were surprised to come up with this new study on how penguins poop can impact the environment.

The mental state of researchers is being targeted due to the release of nitrous oxide from the environment, says Science Alert.

Journal Science of The Total Environment in May 2020 published a new study on penguin poop. The Researchers went ahead studying about the natural habitat of penguins in South Georgia. They spent hours to observe and study about animals.

One of the scientists named Elberling mentioned of the side effects of this exposure. He said, “After nosing about in guano for several hours, one goes completely cuckoo. One begins to feel ill and get a headache.”

They further analyzed that Nitrogen that comes out of the poop goes into the ground and soil bacteria to make it Nitrous oxide.

Besides taking a toll on scientists, this nitrous oxide has impacts on the environment as well. How?

This gas has the ability to pollute the air 300 times more than carbon dioxide. Having witnessed this scenario, it is quite possible for animals like Penguins to be the reason for a spike in greenhouse gases.

Another study paid attention to how melting glaciers shows its adverse impacts on soil. While conducting a research, they found out about the production of three compounds namely carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

The study identified that production of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide increased and methane consumption decreased.

Near the glacier front, away from the penguins, the levels of nitrous oxide were low.

The results showed that if melting glaciers led to form new ice-free lands, there would be an increase in the levels of greenhouse gases

There is no comparison in the amount of nitrous oxide released from penguin poop and that of the human activity. However, one of the researches has identified an increase in our air’s nitrous oxide levels due to an increase in the use of nitrogen fertilizers in our agriculture and the burning of fossil fuels.

The Nitrogen emissions are in control in some places and these emissions have not been able to reduce in few other places. This emission is stabilized in the U.S. and Europe.

On the other hand, it has increased in countries like India, China, Pakistan, and Brazil, where rules in the agriculture field is not strict enough to control these emissions.

By Neha Makhija