Whether you saw it on TikTok, or read it in some random article, you’ve probably heard somewhere that “Flowers are blooming in Antarctica”. Now as crazy as it sounds at first, it’s mostly true for the most part. Asking some students how they felt about this, some respond “Despite the pretty colors, flowers wouldn't be blooming over there” and “Viewing this as a good thing, as it makes it a habitable place”, and finally “It shouldn’t be happening at all”. To clear things up, no sunflowers and roses are not blooming in Antarctica nor are the pretty colorful flowers. Hate to rain on the parade, but the stereotypical colorful flowers aren’t blooming in Antarctica. But as I said earlier, it’s kind of true, because there are plants starting to bloom in Antarctica. On Singy Island, one of Antarctica’s many islands, it has been documented to have a significant growth of planets recently.
The plants growing on the subarctic island are definitely not native to the area. They mostly include grass-based and bush-like plants. One major reason why these green plants are starting to bloom is climate change. With the warming of the temperatures, plants are able to thrive in the once freezing conditions. Asking a student how we could possibly combat this climate change, they responded “If we find ways to lower carbon emissions, we might be able to reverse this process”. With an ecosystem as fragile as Antarctica's, it is no wonder why this change can be so devastating. With such little diversity, the few plants that were native will soon cease to grow in the cold place.
Cover photo credits to GaryStockBridge