4. Plants Accelerate Local Warming
The spread of moss and algae doesn’t just signal warming—it can also amplify it. This is due to the albedo effect, where darker plant surfaces absorb more sunlight than bright, reflective ice. As vegetation covers larger areas, more heat is trapped at the ground level. This localized warming speeds up ice melting even further, creating a feedback loop that accelerates environmental change in Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems.