Global warming is changing the face of earth. Some things are changing slowly and some are changing drastically. But the Andean Peak is witnessing gradual changes in its flora and fauna that is worrying the researchers.
Humboldt wrote in his “Essay on the Geography of plants” about how he first-hand witnessed the changes in the Andean Peak. Though his team of hikers couldn’t complete the mission and aborted the plan, he learnt something valuable.
He realized that as they climbed from the sea level to the mountain the temperature did not drop as much as he expected. Andean Peak is a massive volcano that erupted 1500 years ago. It supports many plant communities and its slopes are home to a lot of glaciers.
But he marked that the temperatures rarely dropped below the freezing point even at the highest elevations. The plants like moss, bogs and alpine plants changed their location through the peak.
The Alpine vegetation decreased as he moved up and this is an alarming change. The plants are highly susceptible to climate changes and change in the vegetation shows that the Andean Peak is seeing the effects of Climate Change.
Even the glaciers are retreating, which shows that the shift in vegetation is not the only thing holding the Andean Peak under the hostage of Climate Change.
The scientists plan on analyzing the plant samples as well the water samples. They want to analyze how it’s happening. Humboldt said that he wants to look at every little change and connect the dots.
