Ice-free zones currently represent less than one per cent of the surface of the white continent and are home to almost all of its fauna and flora, reports Efe news. The study by Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) – the first to investigate the impact of climate change on ice-free areas in Antarctica – predicts that these areas will expand and unite. AAD researcher Aleks Terauds on Thursday said the prediction indicates that by 2100, ice could disappear in a further 17,267 sq km, representing an increase of around 25 per cent on current levels. He added that the thaw would mainly affect the Antarctic peninsula and the east coast of the continent. Lee said ice-free regions currently range from 1 sq km to several thousand km, which are all important breeding areas for seals and seabirds as well as homes of invertebrates, fungi and endemic lichens.

Source: Indian Express June 29, 2017 09:22 UTC