Antarctica Sees Over 10-Fold Increase in Green Areas in 40 Years: Alarming Evidence of Climate Change

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According to the study, in 1986 green areas covered less than 0.4 square kilometers of Antarctica. In 2021, however, they already occupied 8 square kilometers. According to research, the green level of the continent has been growing rapidly over the last four decades, with an acceleration of more than 30% between 2016 and 2021.

– The landscape is still almost completely dominated by snow, ice and rocks, with only a small fraction colonized by vegetation. However, this fraction has grown significantly, showing that even this vast and remote desert is affected climate change caused by man – explains Thomas Roland, a researcher at the University of Exeter and one of the authors of the study.

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In an interview with the American network CNN, Roland pointed out that the influence of climate change in Antarctica, the coldest place on the planet, they are easily visible from space. The continent, although still mostly covered in ice, has suffered from higher heat waves.

– Our results confirm that the impact of anthropogenic climate change is unlimited in its reach – said Roland to CNN. – Even on the Antarctic Peninsula, this most remote, remote and isolated ‘wild’ area, the landscape is changing, and these effects are visible from space.

According to the study, last winter, temperatures rose up to 10ºC above normal in mid-July. In March 2022, at the end of summer, some parts of the continent will record 21ºC above average on thermometers, marking the worst temperature change ever seen in the region .

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According to scientists, as the planet heats up due to the use of fossil fuels, the greening of Antarctica will only accelerate. And the greener the continent, the greater the changes in its ecosystem. One of the effects of changing Antarctic soil, which is now poor and almost non-existent, with the increase in organic matter is to make the environment more favorable to invasive species, threatening native wildlife. .

– Seeds, spores and plant fragments can easily reach the Antarctic Peninsula on the boots or equipment of tourists and researchers, or through more ‘traditional’ routes associated with bird migration and wind, so the risk is here clear – said Roland.

In addition, the phenomenon could reflect the ability of Antarctica to reflect solar radiation back into space, as a darker surface absorbs more heat, which accelerates the growth of plant life as the temperature rises, explains Olly Bartlett, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire and one of the authors of the study, to CNN.

“This iconic landscape could change forever,” he said.