Discovery Sparks Climate Change Debate as Iceland Warms Rapidly; Monitoring Continues
Mosquitoes discovered for the first time in Iceland, known as the 'Land of Ice.'
According to AFP News Agency and other foreign media on the 21st, local time, Matthias Alfredsson, an entomologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, announced that three striped mosquitoes (*Culiseta annulata*) were recently found approximately 30 km north of the capital, Reykjavik. The specimens -- two females and one male -- were captured in a device set up to trap moths and other insects.
Iceland is the only country with 'Ice' in its name. Due to its cold and harsh climate, it was renowned, alongside Antarctica, as a region where mosquitoes do not inhabit. Alfredsson explained, "This is the first time mosquitoes have been found in Iceland's natural environment," adding, "Although Arctic mosquito species were previously collected from an aircraft, those specimens are now lost."
Following this discovery, the possibility that climate change may be the cause of the mosquitoes' appearance has been raised. Alongside rising temperatures, longer summers, and warmer winters, the environment has become more suitable for mosquito habitation. The Guardian (UK) also reported, "Iceland is warming at a rate four times faster than other regions in the Northern Hemisphere, with phenomena such as melting glaciers and the discovery of fish species typically found in warmer seas."
However, Alfredsson stated that the warmer climate alone does not fully explain the discovery. He suggested, "The mosquitoes found this time could have been recently introduced via ships or containers," and emphasized, "Additional monitoring during the spring is necessary to determine whether they have spread." He added, "This species appears to be well-adapted to cold climates."