Scientists Find Evidence of Rainforests in Antarctica

New research found evidence that swampy rainforests once existed in Antarctica. A team of European scientists discovered plant fossils in the region, which proves that there used to be temperate rainforests less than 600 miles from the South Pole. Published in the journal Nature, the research confirms findings of previous studies about Antarctica’s past, including evidence of an animal that could only survive in warmer climates. In 2017, experts extracted soil samples from the seafloor near the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica. Using the soil content drilled from that location, the researchers estimated that the temperature on the continent used to reach up to 25 degrees Celsius during the summer. Sixty-five varieties of plants dated around 83 to 92 million years ago were discovered in the sample, which revealed that the area possibly had swampy rainforests. Such forests are comparable with the ones present in the north-western region of New Zealand’s South Island. Lead author Johann Klages said that a temperate environment near the South Pole would only exist if there were higher greenhouse gas concentrations and plenty of vegetation in the area. This finding implies that ice sheets were non-existent in the location millions of years ago. According to organic geochemistry expert Dr. James Bendle, investigating the ecosystem of Antarctica is significant in understanding the implications of climate change. He added that if the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continue to rise to extreme levels, humans can expect a planet with little to no ice in the future.