Antarctica has 10 times more vegetation than 40 years ago despite the challenging growing conditions.
The greening of the Antarctic Peninsula has been linked to warmer conditions as a result of climate change.
A new study by the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire, and the British Antarctic Survey, found vegetation cover across the Peninsula increased from less than one square kilometre in 1986 to almost 12 square kilometres by 2021.
An article in Nature Geoscience said this greening accelerated by more than 30 percent between 2016 and 2021 and expanded by more than 400,000 square metres per year since 1986.
“The plants we find on the Antarctic Peninsula – mostly mosses – grow in perhaps the harshest conditions on Earth,” University of Exeter researcher Thomas Roland said.
“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.”
The study team used satellite imagery to map the greening trend.
Dr Olly Bartlett, from the University of Hertfordshire, said as these ecosystems became more established and the climate continued to warm, greening was likely to further 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,” he said.
“This raises the risk of non-native and invasive species arriving, possibly carried by eco-tourists, scientists or other visitors to the continent.”
The paper is entitled: “Satellites evidence sustained greening of the Antarctic Peninsula.”
