© Pete Bucktrout, British Antarctic Survey
Volcanic ash threatens an enormous colony of chinstrap penguins.
The hatcheries of migratory penguins can be magical places, full of fluffy chicks and doting parents. But things are less picturesque when you add volcanic ash to the mix.
A volcano on the northernmost island of an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean has been spewing ash and smoke since March, threatening one of the largest colonies of penguins in the world, according to a new study.
Zavodovski Island, one of the South Sandwich Islands, is uninhabited by humans, but it is home to more than 1 million
chinstrap penguins, according to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
BAS researchers found the volcanic eruption via satellite imagery and fishermen from nearby South Georgia were able to photograph ash blowing eastward across the island over penguin-nesting grounds.
"We donꞌt know what impact the ash will have on the penguins," Peter Fretwell, a geographer with the BAS,
said in a statement. "If it has been heavy and widespread it may have a serious effect on the population."
Comment: According to the National Weather Service, the EF-3 tornado that hit Eureka on Thursday was only the fifth EF-3 tornado to strike in Kansas in the month of July since 1950.