Those lichens have gotten a political importance here in Germany, as their disappearance was discovered to be an indicator for high air pollution. I do well remember that probably 12 years back we did a map of lichens in the city of munich to document the air pollution. As the consolidated efforts of european, state level and municipal administrations were successful, the lichens are back in the city now. And now we are waiting what will be a noticable indicator plant for the climate change.
Yes, they’re back – but only partly. There’s still an amazing difference between lichens in a major city and those in more rural places. And people living in a big city still have a significantly lower life expectancy than people in the countryside. Which is at least to a good part due to the fact that most major cities are not able to follow the European standards for air pollution.
So, there’s still room for improvement…
I guess the Arctic is that indicator, this time.
Your image is really good, showing an indicator and a possible cause, with the most important in focus.
@Thomas: Definitely enough room for improvement – we are fighting respirable dust with highest priority here in Munich. Luckily enough, this pretty much coincides with the measures against the climate change.