Here’s amazing news:  Seabird colonies help keep the Arctic cool.

Seabirds gather on Arctic islands to breed during the summer.  Thousands of them nest close together and produce a lot of guano (bird poop).

Atmospheric scientists studying the Arctic noticed summertime bursts of ammonia-based particulate.  These tiny particles cause clouds to form because they gather moisture as they move through the air.  The clouds reflect sunlight and keep the land and water cool.

Where does the ammonia come from?  It wafts off the guano at the seabird colonies.

These findings were published on 15 November 2016 in Nature Communications.   Read the summary here at Science Daily.

(photo of little auks, Alle alle, at breeding colony on Svalbard by Alastair Rae from London, UK via Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)