The first continent-wide mapping study of plant life across Antarctica reveals growth in previously uncharted areas and is set to inform conservation measures across the region.
The first continent-wide mapping study of plant life across Antarctica reveals growth in previously uncharted areas and is set to inform conservation measures across the region.
Conservation Baseline
The satellite survey of mosses, lichens and algae across the continent will form a baseline for monitoring how Antarctica’s vegetation responds to climate change.
Scientists used a European Space Agency satellite to sweep the continent, combined with field measurements taken over several summer seasons, and detected almost 45 square kilometers of vegetation – roughly three times the size of Lake Windermere in the Lake District, UK.
Read more at University of Edinburgh
Image: Vegetation in Antarctica is dominated by lichen and mosses. Image from Livingston Island, maritime Antarctica Credit-Felix Grewe (Credit: Felix Grewe)
