There is a growing green presence in Antarctica, and this trend concerns scientists. In recent years, new zones of vegetation have appeared in parts of the continent where none existed before. The expanding plant life at the South Pole is linked to human-caused climate change and may signal that the frozen land has reached a worrying tipping point.
Because of the harsh temperatures, there are only two native vascular plants in Antarctica: Deschampsia antarctica (antartic grass) and Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic pearl).
Last year, researchers from the University of Insubria in Italy published a study on the status of these two species from 2009 to 2019 on Signy Island, a small subantarctic island in the Orkney Islands region of South Antarctica. This island is a key nesting site for various seabirds.
After comparing the surface area covered by these plants with earlier data from the last half century, the team found that the populations have grown rapidly over the past decade. In fact, plant density has increased as much in the last ten years as in the previous fifty.
Experts note that this growth correlates with a warming trend, with air temperatures in Antarctica rising since the summer of 2012.
Although climate change appears to be a major factor in the spread of both species, researchers also point out a decline in seal numbers on the island, which once crushed the plants and limited their growth.
As temperatures continue to climb, scientists expect the trend to persist. In March 2022, East Antarctica experienced the largest heatwave on record. Recent studies confirm that this extreme event raised temperatures by about 2°C due to climate change. The heat was so intense that researchers working in the area wore shorts and some even sunbathed, as reported by the Washington Post.
The outlook remains concerning. By the end of the century, temperatures in Antarctica could rise by another 5 to 6 degrees, driven by the climate crisis and the warming trend, which could lead to drastic changes across the continent.
As the rise of plant life on Signy Island demonstrates, Antarctica is changing rapidly due to human activity and may approach a critical tipping point sooner than expected. The observations on this subantarctic island could foreshadow broader developments across much of the continent in the coming years as global warming continues.
“The novelty isn’t simply that something grows faster. We may be witnessing the beginning of a radical change or a turning point,” said Peter Convey, a coauthor of the British Antarctic Survey plant study, in an interview with New Scientist in 2022.
Reference work cited for this discussion is available via marked attribution.
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