Copenhagen (AFP)
In Antarctica, king penguins produce an "extreme" amount of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, through their excrement, which plays an important role in the destruction of the ozone layer, according to a study by Danish researchers released on Thursday.
"Penguins' guano produce significantly high levels of nitrous oxide around their colonies," said study leader Bo Elberling, professor of geosciences at the University of Copenhagen.
This greenhouse gas has a euphoric effect, which made the researchers at the time a little "shy", said the Danish University in a press release.
"The maximum emissions are about 100 times higher than in a recently fertilized Danish field. It is really intense - in particular because nitrous oxide is 300 times more polluting than CO2," explained the researcher.
This high proportion is explained by the diet of penguins who eat mainly fish and krill which contain a lot of nitrogen.
After ingestion and digestion, nitrogen is found in the excrement of penguins and mixed with soil bacteria the substance becomes nitrous oxide.
"The nitrous oxide emissions in this case are not enough to have an impact on the Earth's overall energy budget (but) our findings contribute to new knowledge on how penguin colonies affect the environment" , noted Elberling.
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