Melbourne: Ice free areas may increase in Antarctica by 25% due to climate change, leading to drastic changes in the continent’s biodiversity, a study warns. Researchers, including those from University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia, investigated how ice-free areas in Antarctica may be affected by climate change. “Ice-free areas make for small patches of suitable habitat for plants and animals – like islands in a sea of ice,” Jasmine Lee, PhD student at University of Queensland. They found the melting ice could create up to 17,000 square kilometre of new ice-free area across Antarctica – a 25% increase on current levels. How these species will cope with increasing connectivity and competition from invasive species is largely unknown, researchers said.

Source: Mint June 29, 2017 13:41 UTC