Vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold in the past four decades, new research shows.
The Antarctic Peninsula, like many other polar regions, is warming faster than the global average, and extreme heat events in Antarctica are becoming more frequent.
The new study – carried out by the Universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire and the British Antarctic Survey – used satellite data to assess the extent to which the Antarctic Peninsula has ‘greened’ in response to climate change, writes EurekAlert.
It found that the area covered by vegetation throughout the peninsula has increased from less than one square kilometer in 1986 to almost 12 square kilometers by 2021.
Published in the magazine Nature Geosciencethe study also found that this greening trend has accelerated by more than 30% in recent years (2016-2021) compared to the entire study period (1986-2021) – expanding by more than 400,000 square meters per year during this period.
The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than the global average
In a previous study, which examined core samples taken from moss-dominated ecosystems on the Antarctic Peninsula, the team found evidence that plant growth rates had increased dramatically in recent decades.
This new study uses satellite imagery to confirm that a widespread greening trend across the entire Antarctic Peninsula is underway and accelerating.
“The plants we find on the Antarctic Peninsula – mainly mosses – probably grow in the harshest conditions on Earth,” said Dr Thomas Roland, from the University of Exeter.
“The landscape is still dominated almost entirely by snow, ice and rock, with only a small portion colonized by plant life. But this tiny fraction has grown dramatically – showing that even this vast and isolated wilderness is being affected by anthropogenic climate change.”
The greening trend has accelerated by more than 30% in recent years
“As these ecosystems become more established – and the climate continues to warm – the extent of vegetation is likely to increase. Antarctic soil 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,” explained Dr Olly Bartlett, from the University of Hertfordshire .
The researchers emphasize the urgent need for further research to establish the specific climatic and environmental mechanisms driving the “greening” trend.
Researchers are now investigating how ice-free landscapes are colonized by plants and how this process might continue in the future.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
