Discover why the planet’s coldest, icy continent has begun to turn green – and how climate change is playing a role in the transformation
By
When you think of Antarctica’s landscape, white is the colour that comes to mind. Vast swathes of snow, icy glaciers and an otherwise barren white terrain are all features of the coldest continent on Earth.
But recently, Antarctica’s signature appearance has begun to change. Studies conducted back in 2024 show the continent is ‘greening’ – a term used to describe the landscape appearing greener – with moss now featuring on previously untouched rocks.
So, what exactly is causing Antarctica to green? And is there anything we can do to slow down the rate at which its landscape is changing?
Behind the science
The new study revealed how the Antarctic Peninsula – the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica – has experienced a nearly 12-fold increase in plant cover in the last 35 years. Such greening has been driven primarily by the spread of mosses, and has accelerated notably since 2016.
Enjoying this article? Check out our related reads:
To obtain their findings, researchers analysed satellite images of the Antarctic Peninsula taken between 1986 and 2021. Between 2016 and 2021, plant cover expanded by around 0.42 km2, a rate 42 per cent higher than that between 1986 to 2004, and 37 per cent higher than the rate from 2004 to 2016.
Most of the greening has come from the expansion of mosses, which help to build up soil in the otherwise soil-poor lands of Antarctica. In turn, this land can then serve as a foundation for other plants to colonise.
‘The plants we find on the Antarctic Peninsula – mostly mosses – grow in perhaps the harshest conditions on Earth,’ said study co-author 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.’
What does greening mean?
In most landscapes, an abundance of plant life is a positive sight. But for Antarctica, this trend only spells bad news. The increase in plant life – and consequent soil formation – could potentially create fertile grounds for non-native and invasive species. Ultimately, the presence of such species could threaten the native, highly specialised animals and plants of Antarctica.
‘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,’ said Roland.
In other studies, more plant life has been spotted on the continent. Blooms of green snow algae on snow have been spotted along the Antarctic coastline, particularly on islands along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. This algae grows in warmer areas – where average temperatures are just above 0C during the austral summer, the Southern Hemisphere’s summer months of November to February.
Algae growth is also impacted by the presence of marine birds and mammals, whose faecal matter acts as a highly nutritious natural fertiliser. For example, more than 60 per cent of algal blooms on the continent were found within five kilometres of a penguin colony. Algae have been spotted growing near the nesting sites of other birds, as well as areas where seals come ashore.
Antarctica’s climate
As climate change continues to raise temperatures in Antarctica, which is already warming at twice the rate of the global average, researchers believe that the extent of greening will increase.
Still, Antarctica is the coldest continent on the planet, with average annual temperatures ranging from around -10C to -60C at the highest parts of its interior.
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 on people and lead to mass displacement.
