Climate change may force ice-free areas of Antarctica to increase by 25%, warns study

New Delhi: A new study has warned that ice free areas in Antarctica may increase by 25 percent due to climate change, which will eventually lead to drastic changes in the continent's biodiversity.

Researchers have successfully conducted an investigation on how ice-free areas in Antarctica may be affected by climate change.

"Ice-free areas make for small patches of suitable habitat for plants and animals ? like islands in a sea of ice," Jasmine Lee, PhD student at University of Queensland.

They found the melting ice could create up to 17,000 square kilometre of new ice-free area across Antarctica ? a 25 per cent increase on current levels.

The majority of this melting would occur on the Antarctic Peninsula where the climate had already rapidly warmed, researchers said.

"This expansion of ice-free habitat could lead to new opportunities for Antarctic biodiversity, although the warmer conditions will also encourage invasive species to establish," Lee said.

"Many native species have evolved isolated from each other for extended time periods; they are mainly constrained by the availability of resources, such as water and nutrients," she said.

How these species will cope with increasing connectivity and competition from invasive species is largely unknown, researchers said.

"Our work shows habitats that already support invasive species will become larger, meaning there will be more patches of land that can support invasive weeds and invertebrates," Justine Shaw from UQ said.

(With PTI inputs)