We're witnessing a march of the penguins — not to the edge of the ice, but to extinction. According to new research by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the population of emperor penguins in western Antarctica is declining faster than our most pessimistic predictions.

Scientists previously estimated that the total emperor penguin population declined about 10% across all of Antarctica over the past decade and a half. The latest survey included a region covering the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea.

Satellite photos show a 22 percent decline in colonies of emperor penguins in the Antarctic over a 15 year period, partially due to loss of sea ice.