The white, monochromatic vistas of Antarctica, a continent practically synonymous with ice, are becoming more verdant—at least around some of its edges.
The white, monochromatic vistas of Antarctica, a continent practically synonymous with ice, are becoming more verdant—at least around some of its edges. According to an analysis of 35 years of observations from Landsat satellites, the amount of vegetated land on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold since 1986.
As glaciers shrink and temperatures warm, plant life is finding more opportunity to move into this and other cold-climate regions. The expansion of greenery on the Antarctic Peninsula may signal a shift in its ecology, researchers say, raising questions about its future.
Using observations from Landsat 5 through Landsat 8, scientists determined that the area of vegetated land on the Antarctic Peninsula grew from 0.86 to 11.95 square kilometers (0.33 to 4.61 square miles) between 1986 and 2021. Notably, the expansion of green space accelerated starting in 2016. The research, published in Nature Geoscience in October 2024, was led by environmental scientist Tom Roland of the University of Exeter and remote sensing expert Olly Bartlett of the University of Hertfordshire.
Read More: NASA Earth Observatory
Photo Credit: Michala Garrison, NASA Earth Observatory
