Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 7/11/2008

Question
Hi
I heard that there are ozone holes over Antarctica.
How do the penguins survive the intense UV radiation from the sun?


Answer
Dear Steven,

Apparently, the holes in the ozone in Antarctica are starting to repair, and the UV danger might be less now than it was when the holes started to first appear a few years ago.

Penguins have been surviving intense, reflected solar radiation in their habitat for as long as they have existed there, as they have dense feathers that protect them from the sun's rays.  I suspect their feathers have served as a shield against the unusually high UV radiation, too.

No one yet knows what effect the excessive UV radiation has had or will have on wild animals populations of animals in Antarctica.  The most lasting effect of UV bombardment is mutations (most notably the formation of thymine dimers) which can cause skin cancers if the cell's repair mechanisms don't repair them.  Whether penguins and other Antarctic vertebrates will suffer unusually high rates of somatic (body cell) mutations due to the excessive UV is yet to be seen.  But apparently they are protected enough by their reflective feathers and coloration to not have suffered fatal burning.

Not sure anyone knows this for sure, so these are just my musings.

Hope they help.

Dana