Guest appearance: Sir Isaac Newton
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Greening Rates in both Antarctica and the Arctic are Accelerating as Global Warming Spikes Upwards
Plants are now growing closer and closer to both the North Pole and the South Pole.
A new peer-reviewed paper shows how much plant growth has occurred in the past few years on the Antarctica Peninsula.
Links:
Antarctica is ‘greening’ at dramatic rate as climate heats. Analysis of satellite data finds plant cover has increased more than tenfold over the last few decades.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/04/antarctic-plant-cover-growing-at-dramatic-rate-as-climate-heats
Complexity Revealed in Greening of the Arctic https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0688-1
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalized_difference_vegetation_index
Rain falls on peak of Greenland ice cap for first time on record. Precipitation was so unexpected, scientists had no gauges to measure it, and is stark sign of climate crisis. (3 years ago)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/20/rain-falls-peak-greenland-ice-cap-first-time-on-record-climate-crisis
Two incredible extreme events’: Antarctic sea ice on cusp of record winter low for second year running
Last year Antarctica’s sea ice was 1.6m sq km below average – the size of Britain, France, Germany and Spain combined. This week it had even less than that.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/10/two-incredible-extreme-events-antarctic-sea-ice-on-cusp-of-record-winter-low-for-second-year-running
The latest threat to Antarctica: an insect and plant invasion. Rise in tourism and warmer climate bring house flies – and the growth of mosses in which they can live (7 years ago).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/17/antarctica-insect-plant-invasion-house-flies-mosses-warmer-climate
Climate change is turning Antarctica green, say researchers. In the past 50 years the quantity and rate of plant growth has shot up, says study, suggesting further warming could lead to rapid ecosystem changes. (7 years ago).
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/may/18/climate-change-is-turning-antarctica-green-say-reseatchers
Flourishing plants show warming Antarctica undergoing ‘major change’. Dramatic spread of native plants over past decade is evidence of accelerating shifts in fragile polar ecosystem, study finds.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/14/flourishing-plants-show-warming-antarctica-undergoing-major-change-aoe
Last time CO2 levels were this high, there were trees at the South Pole. Pliocene beech fossils in Antarctica when CO2 was at similar level to today point to planet’s future. (5 years ago).
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/03/south-pole-tree-fossils-indicate-impact-of-climate-change
Peer reviewed paper:
Title: Sustained greening of the Antarctic Peninsula observed from satellites
Abstract:
The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced considerable anthropogenic warming in recent decades. While cryospheric responses are well defined, the responses of moss-dominated terrestrial ecosystems have not been quantified. Analysis of Landsat archives (1986–2021) using a Google Earth Engine cloud-processing workflow suggest widespread greening across the Antarctic Peninsula. The area of likely vegetation cover increased from 0.863 km2 in 1986 to 11.947 km2 in 2021, with an accelerated rate of change in recent years (2016–2021: 0.424 km2 yr−1) relative to the study period (1986–2021: 0.317 km2 yr−1). This trend echoes a wider pattern of greening in cold-climate ecosystems in response to recent warming, suggesting future widespread changes in the Antarctic Peninsula’s terrestrial ecosystems and
their long-term functioning.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01564-5.pdf
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Source: paulhenrybeckwith