Why Antarctica Is Turning Green – Burning Issues

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A green Map of Antarctica

Scientists have created the first large-scale map of microscopic algae on the Antarctic peninsula as they bloom across the surface of the melting snow, tinting the surface green and potentially creating a source of nutrition for other species.
In some areas, the single-cell life-forms are so dense they turn the snow bright green and can be seen from space

Ice-free ground makes up only around 0.18% of Antarctica’s continental area, and even in the Antarctic Peninsula, the most vegetated region of Antarctica, only 1.34% of this exposed ground is vegetated
The British team behind the research believe these blooms will expand their range in the future because global heating is creating more of the slushy conditions they need to thrive.

The blooms of the “green snow” algae are usually found on the coastline of the continent, especially near the islands on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
They bloom when the temperature is warmer than normal, between November and February, the austral summer.
They’re also influenced by marine birds and mammals, whose natural fertilizer acts as an accelerant.

Th research identifies 1,679 separate blooms of green snow algae, which together covered an area of 9 sq km.
Almost two-thirds of the green algal blooms were found on small, low-lying islands around the peninsula, which has experienced some of the most intense heating in the world, with new temperature records being set this summer.
The snow algae were less conspicuous in colder, southern regions.

Mosses in general grow very slowly, and in cold polar regions, they accumulate rather than decompose at the end of the growing season
Until about 50 years ago, the two species that dominate the moss banks on the peninsula grew one millimetre or less a year, on average
Since then, though, the mosses have averaged three or more millimetres a year.
Carbon isotope accumulation—an indication of more photosynthetic activity—and microbial activity also increased.

Drilling down into layers of moss that have accumulated on the southern continent over the last 150 years, researchers discovered that those diminutive plants have done more growing than usual in the last five decades.

As Antarctica’s ice melts, more water is available to moisten the mosses, and the rising heat provides longer growing seasons for the plants.
Temperature increases over roughly the past half century on the Antarctic Peninsula have had a dramatic effect on moss banks growing in the region.
Increasing amounts of ice-free land from continued glacier retreat
With less ice, more of the continent’s rock will be uncovered.
Albedo effect