#Antarctica’s Icy #Landscape is #Turning #Green #Faster Than Ever, #Scientists #Warn

Parts of Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth, are turning green with plant life due to extreme heat events, new research reveals. A study by scientists from the University of Exeter, University of Hertfordshire, and the British Antarctic Survey found that plant life, especially mosses, on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased over 10-fold since the 1980s. Satellite imagery shows that vegetation, which covered less than 0.4 square miles in 1986, now stretches across almost 5 square miles. Researchers attribute this rapid greening to rising global temperatures, with heatwaves pushing Antarctic temperatures up to 70 degrees above normal. This warming trend not only accelerates plant growth but could also invite invasive species and disrupt the region’s ecosystem. With the area absorbing more heat due to darker vegetation, the iconic icy landscape could be changed forever. #AntarcticaGreening #ClimateCrisis #GlobalWarming #ExtremeHeat #AntarcticResearch #ChangingLandscapes #MossGrowth #HeatWaves