Newly published research shows that clouds fueled by penguin poop could help fight climate change in the Antarctic.

New research shows that penguin guano in Antarctica is an important source of ammonia aerosol particles that help drive the formation and persistence of low clouds, which cool the climate by reflecting some incoming sunlight back to space.

When the wind blew from the direction of the colony, ammonia levels spiked, sometimes reaching 1,000 times above normal levels. In February, the penguins left the area to continue their annual migration, but the guano they left behind kept ammonia levels up to 100 times higher than normal for over a month.