40 million years AP
In the last 10 million years, as expected, global temperature has drastically risen, ending the short Ice Age period. Thanks to this, the austral forest has taken advantage, becoming the dominant ecosystem of Antarctica, now found not only in the coastal part. While the Big White is still present, the frost influences of this gigantic ice cap are less significant. Tundra habitats are now found only in mountainous environments, from 400 to 1200 meters above sea level, depending on the latitude, while some steppes and shrublands can be found in lowlands or hills, mostly maintained by herbivores' action. Global warming has also drastically increased the sea level, now 50-70 meters higher than in the late Holocene, which has caused the formation of hundreds of fiords across all antarctic landmasses. These fiords are often so large that can mitigate the climate of various internal areas of Antarctica, becoming important biodiversity hotspots. Most of the antarctic forests are taiga analogous, but more tree biodiverse. In northernmost latitudes, like the north Recovery plateau and Weddell island, temperate forests have finally appeared: in these areas, climate can be labeled as subpolar oceanic (Cfc) according to the Köppen classification.
Main antarctic islands have become completely separated from each other, with strong sea currents that make most vertebrate colonization attempts very unsuccessful. Marie Byrd, in particular, is still impacted by tectonic movements, that slowly drift the island away from the Lorentz Peninsula, increasing the size of the Ross sea.
