Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Polar ecosystems are reshaping rapidly in the 21st century, yet Antarctica's continent-wide terrestrial vegetation response remains unclear. Here, using 22 years (2002-2023) of daily MODIS products, we provide the first continent-wide, multi-decadal record of spectral greenness. The area of satellite product exhibiting greenness increased by more than 50%, from 7,356 to 11,219 km², and mean seasonal detection span lengthened from 22.6 to 32.4 days. Both trends were significant across all three major Antarctic regions. Water availability and ultraviolet radiation together account for 77% of modeled continental climate contributions, while temperature contributes less. Modeled regional contributions diverge sharply: water dominates in East Antarctica, ultraviolet-radiation on the Antarctic Peninsula, and ultraviolet-radiation and temperature jointly in West Antarctica. These results reveal shared spatial and seasonal greening across contrasting Antarctic changing environments.
Source: Research Square
Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Ames Research Center, United States Geological Survey, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Schmidt Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Goddard Space Flight Center, Stony Brook University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of California, Los Angeles, Arizona State University, Université de Toulouse
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225651804