Snow Algae Collection Form

Quarmby Lab citizen science


2 Entries

Last on:
21 Jul 2019

Each summer, vast areas of alpine and polar snowfields undergo a startling transformation from white to red. This “watermelon snow” is caused by blooms of microscopic, red-pigmented algae. The red snow absorbs more solar energy, causing the snowmelt to increase by as much as 17%. Early depletion of snow reservoirs can lead to drought, and contributes to a positive feedback loop of global warming in which darker surfaces below the snow are exposed earlier. In spite of their potential importance in global climate regulation, many species of snow algae remain unknown to science; how they colonise white snow to initiate a bloom, how much area of earth's surface they cover, and what other microbial grazers, parasites, and predators accompany them remain a mystery....