Learn how the lives of penguins serve as warning signs for humans at the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society’s virtual meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, on Zoom.

Dr. Ginger Rebstock, Caroline Cappello and Katie Holt of the University of Washington present “Penguins in the Coal Mine,” detailing how, just as canaries served as indicators of mine air quality, certain species of wildlife can alert people to important elements of environmental change.

The trio will present their current research findings regarding various states of penguin ecology, including how changes in penguin body mass reflect changing oceanic conditions; breeding at Punta Tumbo, Argentina (the world’s largest Magellanic penguin breeding colony), and patterns of oceanic productivity and temperature that help explain penguin foraging and breeding behaviors.

To register, visit the Events Calendar page of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society’s webpage at olympicpeninsulaaudubon.org.

Rebstock is a researcher in the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels at the University of Washington. She received her Ph.D. in biology oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2001. She will introduce Magellanic penguins and one of the largest breeding colonies.

Dr. Dee Boersma, founder and director of the Center, has studied penguins at Punta Tombo since 1982, and Rebstock has worked there since 2001. She will describe the life history of Magellanic penguins, emphasizing what can only be learned through long-term study.