Parts of Antarctica are turning green faster than we thought from climate change, 'shocked' scientists say
Parts of Antarctica are turning green faster than we thought from climate change, 'shocked' scientists say
Satellite images show the area covered by vegetation has grown dramatically and is now 10 times larger than it was four decades ago and the rate of change is speeding up.
Well, this is good news in the sense that I am hoping to one day make a video game set in a not too distant future set on a mostly green Antarctica, you know dystopian corporate but also post apocalypse future type thing.
Good news for my estimated timelines being able to shift closer to present, less worldbuilding time gap.
Yep... all good news. No bad news whatsoever.
This is absolutely the best world to set a post apocalyptic fiction on. Apocalypse aversion fiction is getting less credible
Hah, well thanks for the idea endorsement, I guess!
Turns out Antarctica actually has some very interesting geography if you take the ice away.
That and the winter being totally devoid of daylight, the summer being totally devoid of night... the aurora australis being visible basically all the night time...
Sets up an interesting world, if you crank the temperature up enough.
Why am I just now finding out Antarctica has foliage? What the hell Blue Planet and David Attenborough? This is big. Are we looking at normal plants? Or have we got special antarctic plants. It says lichen and moss. But how far back do they evolutionary diverge? Do these fellas have some sort of adaptation that helps them live in their niche?
There was a cool guide/meme about lichen a while back. The stuff is weird and very hardy (until it isn't). Like, sits on a rock and just lives there year round. -40? Not a problem, it will just do nothing until it warms up then it will keep growing. So Antarctica isn't really going to stop it, just slow it down.
TL;DR: The percentage has grown rapidly, because there was almost nothing to begin with, and is still almost nothing.
Exponential growth: hold my beer
Life finds a way
,uh,