A surprising source of clouds in Antarctica: Penguin poop

The clouds in Antarctica might be fueled by penguin poop.

Penguin poop — sorry, penguin guano — is creating clouds in Antarctica that could be affecting local temperatures, according to new research published Thursday in Communications Earth & Environment.

As millions of penguins eat and breed in Antarctica, they leave behind buttloads of guano. Given that they mainly feast on fish and krill, their excrements contain large amounts of nitrogen waste that breaks down into ammonia. Scientists found the incredible amounts of ammonia left behind combine with sulfur compounds from the ocean and grow clouds within hours.