HQ Team
October 6, 2024: Extreme warming in the Antarctic Peninsula has increased the vegetation cover in the region by more than tenfold over the last four decades, according to researchers from the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire and the British Antarctic Survey.
The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than the global average with extreme heat events becoming more common, according to a statement from the universities.
A study done by the University of Exeter in August last year stated that drastic action was needed now to limit global warming to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C.
The scientists warn that recent extremes in Antarctica may be the tip of the iceberg. The study reviewed evidence of extreme events in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, including weather, sea ice, ocean temperatures, glacier and ice shelf systems, and biodiversity on land and sea.
It concluded that Antarctica’s fragile environments “may well be subject to considerable stress and damage in future years and decades” – and called for urgent policy action to protect it.
Satellite data
The new study used satellite data to assess how much the Antarctic Peninsula has been “greening” in response to climate change. It found that the area of vegetation cover across the Peninsula increased from less than one square kilometre in 1986 to almost 12 square kilometres by 2021.
The study also found this greening trend accelerated by over 30% in recent years (2016-2021) relative to the full study period (1986-2021) – expanding by over 400,000 square metres per year in this period.
“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,” he said.
Facilitate soil formation
Dr Olly Bartlett, from the University of Hertfordshire, added: “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 emphasise the urgent need for further research to establish the specific climate and environmental mechanisms that are driving the “greening” trend.
“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 Dr Roland.
‘Serious concerns’
“Our findings raise serious concerns about the environmental future of the Antarctic Peninsula and of the continent as a whole. To protect Antarctica, we must understand these changes and identify precisely what is causing them,” he said.
The researchers are now investigating how recently deglaciated (ice-free) landscapes are colonised by plants, and how the process might proceed into the future.
The study titled “Satellites Evidence Sustained Greening of the Antarctic Peninsula” was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
