News Excerpt:

The researchers found that melting glaciers create open landscapes that invasive plant and animal species are rapidly colonizing.

Key findings of the research:  

• Like other cold regions of the world, many of the glaciers of South Georgia are melting at a fast pace because of climate change, leaving behind large areas of newly uncovered bare ground. 
• The melting of glaciers in a warming climate exposes new ground, colonized by invasive species.
• The study looked at how living organisms colonize new ground laid bare by retreating glaciers, called 'forelands', on the British Overseas Territories. 
• They explained that similar to cold regions around the world, climate change is melting many of the sub-Antarctic island's glaciers, exposing large areas of newly uncovered bare ground. 
• This exposure to the bare ground is followed by the arrival of pioneer plants, which remain low on the ground to maximize sunlight intake and grow quickly.
• These plant species 'colonize' the area by 'progressively covering more ground' and 'increasing the number of species'.
• Native plant species, exotic plants, and invertebrates are also taking advantage of the newly uncovered bare ground.
• The two plant species originating from temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere had colonized the sites faster than any other species. 
• Eg- The annual meadow grass and mouse-ear chickweed are widespread in South Georgia and have successfully invaded most islands in the sub-Antarctic.
• The temperate plant species are more abundant in recently rather than in older deglaciated sites, indicating that these species are effective pioneers on glacial forelands along South Georgia's coast. 
• E.g.- The flowering specimens of the mouse-ear chickweed were found in areas deglaciated less than five years before the survey.
• Even as the results indicate a fast spread of invasive species on the island, to protect the unique ecosystem, it needs to be investigated if this will negatively impact the local species. 
• To survey the biodiversity, the researchers made an inventory of the flora and fauna that colonized the forelands at different stages of the glacial retreat.

What is a foreland? 

• A foreland is an area of land bordering on another or lying in front of a particular feature.
• The region between the current leading edge of the glacier and the moraines of the latest maximum is called glacier foreland or glacier forefield.

Human impact on glaciers beyond invasive species

Human activities have significantly impacted glaciers worldwide, beyond the introduction of invasive species, in the following ways:

• Climate change:

• • The primary human activity affecting glaciers is the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and the accelerated melting of glaciers.

• Black carbon deposition:

• • Activities such as burning fossil fuels, wood, and biomass release black carbon (soot) into the atmosphere. When it settles on glaciers, it darkens their surface, increasing solar absorption and hastening melting.

• Deforestation:

• • Trees act as carbon sinks, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Deforestation not only releases this stored CO2 but also reduces the amount of CO2 that can be absorbed in the future, exacerbating global warming and glacier melt.

• Industrial activities:

• • Industries, especially those involved in mining and drilling, can directly impact glaciers by increasing local temperatures, releasing pollutants, and physically altering glacier landscapes.

• Recreational activities:

• • Ski resorts and other recreational facilities on or near glaciers often modify the landscape through construction and increase local pollution, contributing to glacier decline.

• Agricultural practices:

• • Agriculture contributes to water pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. Additionally, irrigation practices can alter water flow and availability, indirectly affecting glaciers.

• Water diversion:

• • Large-scale water diversion projects for agriculture, hydropower, or human consumption can reduce the flow of water to glacier-fed rivers, affecting glacier mass balance and contributing to sea-level rise.

• Land use changes:
• Urbanization and other land use changes can alter local climates and hydrological cycles, impacting glaciers indirectly through changes in precipitation patterns and temperatures.
• The cumulative effect of these activities accelerates glacier melting, which leads to rising sea levels, altered water supplies, and changes in global climate patterns.

Protecting glacier's future from invasive species:

• Understanding how invasions happen is the first step to finding ways to curb them.
• Governments and conservation groups might implement stricter cleaning procedures for visitors’ gear to prevent hitchhiking seeds. 
• Targeted removal of the most aggressive invasive species could also protect vulnerable native ones.

Conclusion: 

The ice won’t stop melting anytime soon. The world is changing, and ecosystems will change with it. Whether those barren fields left by glaciers turn into resilient native habitats or weedy wastelands depends, in part, on the choices we make today. Reducing the human footprint through sustainable practices and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical to preserving glaciers, ecosystems and human societies that depend on them.