A recent study has revealed a striking increase in the vegetation cover of the Antarctic Peninsula over the past 40 years. Scientists from the University of Exeter and the British Antarctic Survey, using satellite data, found that the green zone has increased 10-fold, naukatv.ru reports with reference to Nature Geoscience.
In 1986, vegetation occupied less than 1 square kilometer, and by 2021 its area reached almost 12 square kilometers. The acceleration of growth was especially noticeable in the period 2016-2021, when the annual increase was more than 400,000 square meters, which is 30% higher than previous figures.
Dr. Thomas Roland from the University of Exeter emphasizes the uniqueness of the Antarctic flora, mainly consisting of mosses that have adapted to extreme conditions. Despite the fact that most of the continent is covered in ice and rocks, the observed expansion of green areas shows the impact of global warming even in this remote region.
Scientists note that the growth of vegetation can lead to the formation of soils in places where there were none before. This, in turn, can create conditions for the emergence of new plant species, including potentially invasive ones introduced by humans.