Antarctica is the white continent. But for how long? Surprising images published by NASA make us question ourselves.
Since we have gained a little altitude thanks to our satellites, we no longer see our Earth the way we used to. Over the years, they have shown us its beauty, but also its fragility. However, this is how we can interpret the highly objective images they now send back to us on a daily basis. And in the context of global warming, satellites are proving especially valuable. By confirming the retreat of the ice pack and SourceSource By exploring glaciers or even crevasses Ice platformsIce platforms.
But today, these Landsat satellites (NASANASA and the United States Geological Survey) are implementing. the lightthe light. Antarctica is losing its whiteness and turning from green to green. It must be said that the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the regions of the world that is warming rapidly. Thus, since 1986, the surface area of vegetated land on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold, from 0.86 to 11.95 square kilometers. Observations of LandsatLandsat Landsat 5 through 8 also show a significant acceleration in the vegetation of Antarctica since 2016.
Everywhere is green and fast and fast
Images from a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience And recently published by NASA allows us to get a more accurate idea of the extent of the phenomenon. They show the amount of greenery. “almost certainly exists” At an altitude of less than 300 m on the ice-free land of the Antarctic Peninsula. And they show a significant expansion of vegetation cover to almost the southern limit of vegetation growth on the South Shetland Islands and the western side of the peninsula.
The researchers say they were incredulous at the findings. “We had expected greening – especially towards higher altitudes – but not the scale of greening we report here – even towards the outer reaches of the regions.Ollie Bartlett, a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire (UK), commented in a NASA press release.The pace of this greening itself is quite astonishing, especially in recent years. »
Will the Greening of Antarctica Threaten Biodiversity?
Previous field studies suggest that these are KaiKai which until now dominated the green areas of Antarctica. Because they are hardy and can grow on bare rocks in poor environments. Now, surveys show that this moss continues to accumulate year after year. with a rate that has increased over the past 50 years. Evidence of the development of biological activity of the region in the context of Climate changeClimate change.
What worries researchers is that the activity of mosses and lichens allows the soil to develop in return. Thus, they do not provide new opportunities for plants locallocal – moved by tourists or scientists – to find an anchor point. Several cases of invasion in the North Antarctic Peninsula and neighboring islands have already been documented. And that’s probably a problem for hundreds.SpeciesSpecies Native mosses, liverworts, lichens or even MushroomsMushrooms. But to really learn which plant communities make up the new green zones revealed by satellites and their impact on the structure and function of the Antarctic Peninsula ecosystem, scientists will have to go there.
