Last updated on December 13, 2023
I booked an expedition to Antarctica with Quark Expeditions on February 5 to 16, 2024. It’s the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere and I’m curious to see how the landscape of Antarctica looks by then, which wildlife to encounter and how much green to expect on a white continent.
Plants
According to BBC’s Science Focus, there are currently only two species of plants more complicated than moss on the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic hairgrass and Antarctic pearlwort.
Antarctic hairgrass
According to Wikipedia, the Antarctic hairgrass mainly occurs on the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, and along the western Antarctic Peninsula. Its distribution largely depends on the area’s nutrients supply of the soil and its water distribution. Antarctic hairgrass has been recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the southernmost flowering plant. In 1981, a specimen was found on the Antarctic Peninsula’s Refuge Islands at a latitude of 68°21′S. Since 2009, both Antarctic hairgrass and Antarctic pearlwort have been spreading rapidly, which studies suggest has been the result of rising air temperatures and a reduction in the number of fur seals.
Antarctic pearlwort
According to Wikipedia, the Antarctic pearlwort has yellow flowers and grows about 5 cm tall, with a cushion-like growth habit that gives it a moss-like appearance. It is found on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, on South Georgia, South Shetland and the Falklands; also in the Andes, becoming increasingly rare northwards, but reaching Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, with a further isolated population in Mexico. Within Antarctica, due to climate change, more seeds are germinating, creating a large number of seedlings and plants. Reports indicate a fivefold increase in these plants, which have extended their ranges southward and cover more extensive areas. Research found that the Antarctic pearlwort spread nearly ten times faster during the period of 2009 through 2018 compared to between 1960 and 2009.