Scary warning when the dinosaur-era 'green continent' is about to rise again

There are studies showing that in the Cretaceous period, Antarctica had a tropical rainforest climate with rich flora and fauna. But if the continent is green again, it will be a disaster.

The new study looked at the growth of two Antarctic species of flowering plants, Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis, measuring their growth and expansion on a small subarctic island, Signy Island, since 2009. until 2019, according to Science Alert.

Deschampsia antarctica appears more and more on the island of Antarctica

Work led by Dr. Nicoletta Cannone from the University of Insubria (Italy) says that these two plants are both growing faster each year, especially in the summer, when populations of fur seals stop trampling them and heat more favorable.

The increase of this unexpected green patch is clear evidence that the climate of the polar regions is getting hotter and hotter and the impact on ecosystems. Between 1960 and 2011, the air rose 0.02 degrees per year, followed by four cold years. However, after 4 years of cold, the air temperature continues to increase at a dizzying rate: 0.25 degrees per year.

The growth rate of Deschampsia antarctica from 1960 to 2009 was almost 21% per decade, but from 2009 to 2018 it increased to 28%. While Colobanthus quitensis from a growth rate of 7% per decade increased to 154% in the last decade.

The evidence also suggests that Antarctica's ecosystem is more fragile than we thought and vulnerable to destruction if the rate of warming remains at the current rate, possibly even further increased by human impacts.

Antarctica was once a green continent in the time of the dinosaurs, according to some studies. However, if the green carpet once again emerges from the snow, it will be a great disaster - the destruction of the current ecosystem. And if Antarctica gets that hot, the climates on the continents inhabited by humans will become extremely extreme, possibly triggering a new mass extinction.