The Antarctic Peninsula is heating up at an alarming rate, five times faster than the global average. Glaciers continue to lose mass over the years, and this current trajectory is only set to continue, especially given the reveals from satellite imagery.
In the following, we’re going to take a closer look at recent observations made by Thomas P. Roland and his team, showcasing the Antarctic Peninsula. We’ll reveal why the data is problematic, and why the researchers were in “disbelief” based on the growing numbers over the years.
The team of Thomas P. Roland, Oliver T. Bartlett, Dan J. Charman, Karen Anderson, Dominic A. Hodgson, Matthew J. Amesbury, Ilya Maclean, Peter T. Fretwell and Andrew Fleming released new data with Nature Geoscience, titled, ‘Sustained greening of the Antarctic Peninsula observed from satellites.’ Although the data collected by the team is fascinating, it also tells the story of a problematic shift headed in the wrong direction.
Since 1986, recent observations suggest that the vegetated land on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased dramatically over the years, so much so that it has researchers questioning its future, the NASA Earth Observatory revealed.
The data speaks for itself as between 1986 and 2021, the vegetated land on the Antarctic Peninsula grew from 0.86 to 11.95 square kilometers, according to Nature Geoscience research.
Researcher Thomas P. Roland admits he did expect to see more greenery, but not at the scale reported.
“Based on the core samples, we expected to see some greening,” Roland admits, “but I don’t think we were expecting it on the scale that we reported here.”
Oliver T. Bartlett agrees that the numbers had researchers in disbelief, not anticipating such a sizable difference.
“When we first ran the numbers, we were in disbelief. The rate itself is quite striking, especially in the last few years.”
What Does The Research Team Have Planned Next?
Thomas P. Roland plans to revisit the area, and this time, aims to take a closer look at what is happening on the ground.
“We’re at the point that we’ve said the best we can say with the Landsat archives. We need to go to these places where we’re seeing the most distinctive changes and see what’s happening on the ground.”
The new data is hoping to see the area avoid erosion of biodiversity, especially with glaciers melting, and soil that is expected to follow. The area’s future remains in question.
Courtesy: The Travel
