Climate change causes snow in Antarctica to turn green

Scientists have discovered that a new ecosystem is forming in Antarctica when high temperatures cause the snow to thaw, creating favorable wet conditions for microalgae to grow on the surface.

According to the Guardian, a team of scientists from the UK thinks that because the Earth's temperature continues to rise, snow in the Antarctic Peninsula will melt more and form a wet condition suitable for micro-organisms. algae proliferate. This new ecosystem will be able to create sources of nutrients for other animals.

In some areas, this single-celled living organism grows so dense that it turns snow layers into green, and even see this change from space, according to the study. published in the journal Nature Communications.

Biologists from Cambridge University and the British Antarctic Research Team spent six years searching and measuring algae density in snow, using satellite data in conjunction with live observation on the ground.

An area with snow turning blue due to the growth of microalgae in Antarctica. (Photo: AFP).

As a result, they established a map of the distribution of algae on the Antarctic peninsula. This data will be used to assess the rate at which the continent changes, from white to blue, due to climate change but may provide nutrition for some animals.

This microalgae has begun to form a close association with the fungal spores and small bacteria. This means that a community of organisms is beginning to form and can create a new habitat.

"This is the beginning of a new ecosystem," says biologist Matt Davey from Cambridge University, one of the research leaders.

Davey described the algae as a missing piece in the Antarctic carbon cycle . With a total area of ​​1,9km ² , these algae can handle 479 tons of carbon per year.

Nearly two-thirds of green algae are found on small, low-lying and low islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula - an area that has just experienced a record heat wave, with the highest temperatures recorded. received last summer. Algae are less common in the cold southern regions.

Scientists have previously observed an increase in lichen and green moss in Antarctica, but they grow extremely slowly when compared to algae. In the future, they will also measure the growth rate of red and orange algae, to calculate whether the presence of these algae affects the ability of the Antarctic snow to reflect heat.