Antarctica has turned green due to global warming: the vegetation cover has increased more than 10 times. Recent photos

According to a study by scientists, Antarctica is rapidly turning green. Over the past 40 years, the vegetation cover has increased more than tenfold.

Experts from the Universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire have warned that climate change is due to warming. Studies have shown that, like many polar regions, the Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than the global average, DailyMail reports.

"Our findings raise serious concerns about the environmental future of the Antarctic Peninsula and the continent as a whole," said study leader Dr. Thomas Roland.

A team of scientists analyzed satellite images of the peninsula over the past 40 years to find out how much of the territory has turned green as a result of warming. The analysis of Landsat archives (1986-2021) was conducted using the Google Earth Engine cloud processing workflow, NatureGeoscience writes.

Back in 1986, the images show that only one square kilometer of the peninsula was covered with vegetation. However, by 2021, this area had grown to almost 12 square kilometers.

The study also found that the pace of green carpet expansion is increasing. According to the scientists, greening has accelerated by more than 30 percent in recent years (2016-2021) compared to the full study period (1986-2021) – expanding by more than 400,000 square meters per year during this period.

"The plants we find on the Antarctic Peninsula – mostly mosses – grow in perhaps the harshest conditions on Earth. The landscape is still almost entirely dominated by snow, ice, and rocks, and only a small part is colonized by plant life. But this tiny proportion has increased dramatically, showing that even this vast and isolated 'desert' is being affected by anthropogenic climate change," said Dr. Roland.

The researchers are concerned that as these ecosystems become more established and temperatures continue to rise, the degree of greening will increase.

"Soil in Antarctica is mostly poor or non-existent, but an increase in plants will add organic matter and facilitate soil formation, potentially paving the way for other plants to grow. This increases the risk of non-native and invasive species arriving, possibly carried by ecotourists, scientists, or other visitors to the continent," added study co-author Dr. Ollie Bartlett.

Based on the findings, the team of scientists is calling for "urgent" research into the specific mechanisms behind the greening trend.

"The sensitivity of the Antarctic Peninsula's vegetation to climate change is now evident. And with future anthropogenic warming, we may see fundamental changes in the biology and landscape of this iconic and vulnerable region. To protect Antarctica, we need to understand these changes and determine exactly what is causing them," summarized Thomas Roland.

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