A new study shows that Antarctic ecosystems could be seriously disrupted by waste, disease and animals transported from South Africa, South America, New Zealand and Australia as global warming accelerates ice melt.
Antarctica in danger – native species threatened by invasive ones Photo Shutterstock
Published in the Journal of Global Change Biology, the research used simulations of ocean currents to track the trajectories of virtual objects released from different locations. The simulations indicated that each year, debris from the aforementioned regions reaches the coasts of Antarctica with a higher frequency than previously thought.
“Things may be heading further north in Antarctica than we imagined”Dr. Hannah Dawson, lead author of the study, explained to The Guardian.
Glaciers and cold temperatures prevented colonization
Although alien species have not yet established themselves in Antarctica, this debris, carried by waves and currents, has been arriving there for thousands of years. But until now, glaciers and cold temperatures have prevented colonization. But as temperatures rise and ice retreats, the risk of these invasive species becoming permanent on the Antarctic coast increases.
Antarctic ice has hit record lows for the third consecutive year, and increasing plastic pollution means there are now more platforms for animals and disease to use to reach the South Pole.
170 tons of plastic in the world’s oceans
Plastic particles floating in the world’s oceans topped 170 tonnes in 2023, and they can carry ants and diseases such as bird flu, while drifting algae can bring in crabs, starfish and snails, warns Dr Ceridwen Fraser, co-author of study and biogeographer at the University of Otago: “It’s very worrying for the species in the Antarctic. If alien organisms were to successfully colonize the warming Antarctic coast, they would have a survival advantage over native species, which tend to develop more slowly.”
Native species at risk, facing invasive species
Since entering service in 2021, the Antarctic icebreaker RSV Nuyina has not completed any scientific missions, being used mainly for resupply missions and facing technical problems.
Australia has called for increased scientific research in Antarctica and the use of a second ship to increase the number of expeditions.
Dawson pointed out: “Invasive species could outcompete native species, and the latter would have nowhere to retreat”.
Plastic pollution, disease and invasive species threaten the frozen continent
The study also showed that the Antarctic Peninsula is the most vulnerable to colonization, with most of the simulated objects reaching the northernmost point of the continent.
According to some climate models, through melting glaciers, the peninsula would be the first part of the continent to reach temperatures that would allow organisms from other regions to establish here, according to Andy Hogg, director of the ACCESS-NRI research unit.
The west coast of the South Pole – a key observation point for researchers
Hogg added that the research’s advanced modeling suggests that scientists need to investigate which organisms from other continents could survive Antarctic conditions and settle on the coast.
Jordan Pitt, an oceanographic mathematician – a specialist who uses mathematics to study ocean processes and dynamics in oceanography – at the University of Sydney, noted that already the west coast of the peninsula is typically ice-free during the summer and would be a point key observation for researchers in monitoring the arrival of invasive species and implicitly in taking action on this climate crisis.
