News Climate Penguin poop gives Antarctic cloud formation a boost Ammonia wafting up from penguin guano in Antarctica is a key ingredient for cooling cloud formation  Adélie penguins walk near a breeding site in coastal Antarctica. Matthew Boyer By Carolyn Gramling 2 hours ago Penguins’ poop may be making Antarctica cloudier — and helping mitigate the regional impacts of climate change. Gases emitted from the birds’ guano are supplying key chemical ingredients to form the seeds of clouds — the tiny particles that clouds coalesce around, researchers report May 22 in Communications Earth & Environment. What penguin guano primarily contributes to the equation is ammonia. Previous studies have found that gaseous ammonia in the atmosphere can combine with sulfuric acid emitted by marine phytoplankton to form tiny particles called cloud condensation nuclei — the seeds of clouds. Those clouds may help cool the planet by reflecting more sunlight back into space. Researchers are keen to understand what drives climate and cloudiness over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, which can have a powerful impact on the global climate. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.