Antarctic eye turned green… May it accelerate warming?

When it comes to green, it reminds of an eco-friendly image. However, according to a paper published in Nature Communications, the University of Cambridge research team compared satellite images taken by ESA from 2017 to 2019 with data observed from various parts of Antarctica, such as King George Island, for the first time on the Antarctic Peninsula. It is said that the area where snow was found was mapped.

The research team reportedly found 1,679 green algae here. As it warms, algae spores germinate on the snowy surface of Antarctica. Birds also turn their eyes into red lights. These green flowers are said to occur mainly on islands around the Antarctic coastline, especially along the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most warming regions in Antarctica due to the climate crisis, and the western part of the peninsula is regarded as an area with rising temperatures. Algae grows in the melting snow in this environment.

In addition, it is said that in areas where wild animals live, a phenomenon in which the eyes become green due to the breeding of birds due to animal waste. More than 60% of the green areas mapped by the research team were found within 4.8 km of the coast where penguin habitats and seals live.

As the climate crisis progresses, the green eye pattern is also likely to change. As the Antarctic Peninsula warms, the amount of summer snowfall on some islands decreases, and ice and snow tide may disappear as well. However, as it has decreased here, there is a high possibility that the tide will increase overall, such as new formations in northern and southern islands of the peninsula.

How green eyes affect it is still unknown. Algae absorb carbon from the atmosphere, so it might be thought that it could help curb warming, but this is not enough to remove excess carbon dioxide from humans. There may be more problems than this. Algae research in Greenland found that the ice melted quickly by increasing the amount of sunlight and heat absorbed by the snow. In Antarctica, ice has tripled over the past 10 years. When the ice melts, the sea level rises. Global warming is trying to change a lot. Related information can be found here .