Plant life in Antarctica is making its way by leaps and bounds and the reason is none other than climate change , according to a team of scientists from the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) in their study published in the journal Current Biology.
The truth is that very few plants survive on the frozen continent, but researchers studying moss in the area have found a sharp increase in biological activity in the last 50 years. The experts used cores of moss banks – excellently well preserved in the cold conditions of Antarctica – that extend for more than 640 kilometers, selecting up to five cores in three different locations. Scientists found significant biological changes that occurred in the last 50 years throughout the Antarctic Peninsula.
“Temperature increases over the last half century or so in the Antarctic Peninsula have had a dramatic effect on the banks of moss growing in the region. If this continues, and with increasing amounts of ice-free land and the continued decline in glaciers, the Antarctic Peninsula will be a much greener place in the future, “ says Matt Amesbury, co-author of the paper.
It is not a new event. Climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula is well documented: warming, increased rainfall, increased wind force …
Although meteorological records mostly began in the 1950s, biological records preserved in moss bank cores can provide us with a longer-term context on climate change.
Analyzing the data of the last 150 years , clear evidence has been discovered, some “turning points”, which coincide with the increase in biological activity in the last half century.
“The sensitivity of moss growth to increases in temperature suggests that ecosystems will be rapidly altered by warming, leading to major changes in the biology and landscape of this iconic region ,” predicts Dan Charman, co-author of the work.
Image Credit: Matt Amesbury
