Vegetation on Antarctica has increased more than tenfold in the last four decades due to the warming effects of climate change
By
A new study has used satellite data to find vegetation cover across the Antarctic Peninsula has increased rapidly in recent decades. Vegetation cover across the Peninsula has increased from less than one square kilometre in 1986, to almost 12 square kilometres in 2021, affected by the rising temperatures across the planet.
The study – conducted by the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire, along with the British Antarctic Survey – also found that vegetation grew over 30 per cent between 2016-2021, expanding by more than 400,000 square metres per year during this period.
Enjoying this article? Why not take part in our Antarctica quiz?
‘The plants we find on the Antarctic Peninsula – mostly mosses – grow in perhaps the harshest conditions on Earth,’ said Dr Thomas Roland, from the University of Exeter. ‘The landscape is still almost entirely dominated by snow, ice and rock, with only a tiny fraction colonised 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, also explained that as ecosystems become more established – and the climate continues to warm – greening will most likely increase. As plants such as Antarctic moss begin to grow, they add organic matter to soil which further increases the quantity of soil on the continent. In turn, this increases the likelihood for new plants – such as invasive species or those carried accidentally by tourists and scientists – to be able to thrive in the freezing, arctic climate.
‘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,’ Dr Roland continued.
Researchers are now emphasising the need for further research, and are underway with investigations into exactly how recently ice-free landscapes begin to be colonised by plants. Such drastic changes to Antarctica’s landscape raise serious concerns for the future of the icy continent as it is currently known.
Antarctica’s climate
The rate of warming in West Antarctic and the Antarctic Peninsula is much faster than the global average. A pause between 1999 and 2014 was the only spell that the region did not experience warming in recent times, with scientists now predicting the continent will rise in temperature by 0.34C each decade until 2100.
More than 90 per cent of the Antarctic Peninsula’s glaciers have lost mass since the 1940s, with concerns over sea levels rising by hundreds of feet. Even just a few feet of water being added to the world’s oceans would have devastating effects upon people and lead to mass displacement.
