Baby Birds Are Dying as Rare Rain Falls

Rainfall is on the rise in the Arctic, a concerning trend that has been identified as a killer of peregrine falcon chicks and other wildlife.

Scientists and politicians alike continue to raise the alarm about the concerning impacts of global warming as more research reveals that climate change increases the severity of some natural disasters, ranging from floods and wildfires to hurricanes and drought.

Some areas of the world are more at risk of suffering from the warming climate than others, and multiple studies have shown the Arctic as being most vulnerable to climate change.

One impact of global warming is the increase of rainfall in the Arctic. What used to be a rare event is now happening more frequently and contributing to a concerning population decline in some species.

A new report by online magazine Yale Environment 360 published on Tuesday draws attention to the risks wildlife faces in the Arctic because of increased rainfall.

The report cites a 2013 study published in Oecologia that found the increase in rain in parts of the Arctic that typically see snow is killing peregrine falcon chicks.

The chicks are covered in downy feathers that protect them from the cold, but once the plumage becomes wet, the chicks die of hypothermia, Yale Environment 360 reported.

According to the Yale report, rain used to be rare in the Arctic because of the cold, dry air. The study cites Rick Thoman, a climate scientist based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, as saying that rain has increased by 17 percent in Alaska over the last 50 years.

Newsweek has reached out to Thoman by email for comment.

The 2013 Oecologia study examined the chicks and learned that of those that died, 38 percent of deaths were caused by rainfall. One in four per nest was fatally impacted by the rain.

However, the study did find that the installation of nest boxes aided in protecting the young peregrine falcons.

The Yale report said that some species, such as caribou, show an impressive adaptability to the changing climate.

Despite that, the herds are still being threatened by rain, as once the precipitation freezes on icy surfaces, they struggle to dig through the hard snow and ice or they cut their legs on the sharp edges.

In addition to threatening Arctic wildlife such as the peregrine falcons, caribou and muskoxen, an increase of rain could “trigger more flooding; an acceleration in permafrost thaw; profound changes to water quality; more landslides and snow avalanches; more misery for Arctic animals, many of which are already in precipitous decline due to the shifting climate; and serious challenges for the indigenous peoples who depend on those animals,” the Yale report said.