Snow algae photo submission

In summer, the surfaces of glaciers and snowfields come to life with pink-coloured algae blooms known as “watermelon snow”. These single-celled algae grow in the liquid meltwater between grains of snow, and support a complex microbiome. Snow algae blooms also darken the snow, thereby causing it to melt faster. As global warming has increased snowmelt in recent years, we hypothesize that blooms are increasing in frequency and intensity, and we are using satellite data to test this hypothesis.

Based on the satellite imagery we identified 325 potential bloom sites on North American glaciers. The sites can be viewed on a map at https://www.gaiagps.com/public/pv1DETwtbUbWn2cJfau6rFt8 , including many glaciers near popular mountaineering areas. Community scientists can help us ground validate these sites by submitting summer photos of pink snow algae at these sites. Please check the map, and if you have visited one of these sites please consider sharing your photos! Simply upload the photos to this form