When it comes to making clouds in the Arctic, there’s a surprising key ingredient: bird poop. Researchers believe that bird guano, or droppings, may help clouds form and may even cool the North Pole.
Every summer, tens of millions of birds travel long distances to the Arctic. “It’s quite the migration,” says Greg Wentworth, a scientist who works at Alberta Environment and Parks in Canada. Arctic terns, puffins (pictured), and other seabirds fly north to lay eggs and eat fish in the Arctic waters. After filling their bellies, they produce a whole lot of poop!
Bird guano is loaded with uric acid—waste created as animals break down food. Bacteria in poop turn nitrogen (N) in the uric acid into ammonia gas that’s released into the atmosphere. Ammonia reacts with water vapor and other compounds to form small particles called condensation nuclei. Water vapor then condenses on these particles, forming liquid droplets. A lot of these droplets form clouds.
The white clouds reflect sunlight away from Earth. That causes a slight cooling effect in the atmosphere. “If you took away all of the birds tomorrow, the Arctic would be warmer,” says Wentworth.
Like the rest of the planet, the Arctic has been experiencing hotter weather caused by climate change. Scientists are racing to understand how this change will affect ecosystems and weather around the world. Though the birds’ contribution is small, what comes out of their bottoms is helping to prevent a rapidly warming Arctic from experiencing an even bigger meltdown.