Summary
Climate change is predicted to affect high latitudes first and most severely, and major changes in temperature, wind speed and stratospheric ozone have already been observed in Antarctica. Regression analysis was used to investigate the influence of ozone depletion and summer temperature and wind speed on growth rate of four Antarctic moss cores over a 35-45 year period. Growth rates were determined from a plot of the calibrated 14C age of shoot sections against the distance from the growing tip. The five-year running mean of temperature, wind and ozone terms provided a better fit than data for individual years, as moss growth rates represent growth averaged over multiple years. Wind speed typically had a negative impact on growth rate of these mosses, whereas temperature tended to have a positive effect. Our data suggest that this mainly relates to the effect of wind and temperature on water availability. Ozone depth also tended to have a positive effect on the growth rate. Recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer and warming predicted for Antarctica are likely to increase growth rates, whereas the already observed increase in wind speeds and predicted decrease in coastal precipitation may negatively impact the growth of mosses.