ANTARCTICA IS FULL OF FLOWERS, WHICH IS A BAD SIGN FOR EVERYONE.
One of the least habitable places on Earth is, without a doubt, Antarctica, the coldest continent and with extreme climatic conditions today. It is difficult for life to flourish in that part of the world; however, as time goes by, it has been shown that for some strange reason and defying nature itself, there are living organisms in that place.
A new study suggests that different types of plants and flowers are capable of growing under these harsh conditions. Long ago, it had been discovered that colobanthus and deschampsia grow naturally and even carry out photosynthesis.
In recent years, the environmental crisis has reached unsuspected limits. Melting glaciers, tons of garbage in the oceans and forest fires are wreaking havoc in various parts of the world.
En un hecho totalmente insólito, la #Antártida se llenó de #flores, y esto no es una buena noticia.
— Frank ? (@SERVCOMPUTACION) May 2, 2022
Desde hace 10 años, la Antártida ha estado floreciendo como evidencia contundente del poder del #hombre para modificar el clima de la Tierra.
La floración acelerada de ?? pic.twitter.com/oHo2yK1tmT
Antarctica blooms
The professor of Ecology at the University of Insubria in Italy, Nicoletta Cannone, is the main person in charge of the research carried out in the Orkney archipelago, south of Antarctica. The Cannone team of researchers found two species of plants that spread throughout the territory.
The results were based on references to the presence of the plants since 1960 and compared several records. In the case of Colobanthus , the species grew three times faster, and Deschampsia spread to more comprehensive parts of the Antarctic continent.
“Our view is that the astonishing proliferation of these plants is primarily related to the warming of the summer air.”
Nicoletta
The author explained that plants are the best indicator of the ecosystem response to climate change, as opposed to animals that have to move from one region to another, and their adaptation process is more complicated.
Although it’s not always good news, the fact that the Earth is flowering at its poles highlights how seriously humans take their role in climate change.
Denying information
Although Cannone’s investigation is genuine, several articles and notes on the internet deny the photo shared by thousands of users where several striking flowers can be seen as protagonists and some glaciers in the background.
According to several users, this photo was taken by the photographer Sergey Uryadnikov in Disko Bay in Greenland. The purple plant is a Saxifraga oppositifolia, adapted to cold climates; the yellow one, on the other hand, is the colourants , a flower that Cannone’s team discovered and studied.
In conclusion, Antarctica has vegetation, flowers and plants, but they did not magically appear. They are the product of years in the region, and instead of generating panic about global warming, it is better to be informed about it.