By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Antarctica is turning green at a “dramatic” rate due to global warming, warns new research.
Vegetation cover has increased more than ten-fold over the last four decades, say scientists.
The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than the global average – with extreme heat events in Antarctica becoming more common, according to a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Researchers from the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire and the British Antarctic Survey used satellite data to assess how much the Antarctic Peninsula has been “greening” in response to climate change.
The team found that the area of vegetation cover across the Peninsula increased from less than one square kilometer in 1986 to almost 12 square kilometers by 2021.
The study also revealed that the greening trend accelerated by over 30% from 2016 to 2021 relative to the full study period (1986-2021) – expanding by more than 400,000 square meters per year in that period.
The research team found in a previous study, which examined core samples taken from moss-dominated ecosystems on the Antarctic Peninsula, evidence that rates of plant growth had increased dramatically in recent decades.
The new study uses satellite imagery to confirm that a widespread greening trend, across the Antarctic Peninsula, is under way and accelerating.
Dr. Thomas Roland, from the University of Exeter, said: “The plants we find on the Antarctic Peninsula – mostly mosses – grow in perhaps the harshest conditions on Earth.
“The landscape is still almost entirely dominated by snow, ice and rock, with only a tiny fraction colonized by plant life.
“But that tiny fraction has grown dramatically – showing that even this vast and isolated ‘wilderness’ is being affected by anthropogenic climate change.”
Dr. Olly Bartlett, from the University of Hertfordshire, said: “As these ecosystems become more established – and the climate continues to warm – it’s likely that the extent of greening will increase.
“Soil in Antarctica is mostly poor or non-existent, but this increase in plant life will add organic matter, and facilitate soil formation – potentially paving the way for other plants to grow.
“This raises the risk of non-native and invasive species arriving, possibly carried by eco-tourists, scientists or other visitors to the continent.”
The researchers say there is an urgent need for further studies to establish the specific climate and environmental mechanisms that are driving the “greening” trend.
Dr Roland said: “The sensitivity of the Antarctic Peninsula’s vegetation to climate change is now clear and, under future anthropogenic warming, we could see fundamental changes to the biology and landscape of this iconic and vulnerable region.”
He added: “Our findings raise serious concerns about the environmental future of the Antarctic Peninsula, and of the continent as a whole.
“In order to protect Antarctica, we must understand these changes and identify precisely what is causing them.”
