Algae Drive Enhanced Darkening of Bare Ice on the Greenland Ice Sheet

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 44; no. 22; pp. 11,463 - 11,471
• Main Authors: Stibal, Marek, Box, Jason E., Cameron, Karen A., Langen, Peter L., Yallop, Marian L., Mottram, Ruth H., Khan, Alia L., Molotch, Noah P., Chrismas, Nathan A. M., Calì Quaglia, Filippo, Remias, Daniel, Smeets, C. J. P. Paul, Broeke, Michiel R., Ryan, Jonathan C., Hubbard, Alun, Tranter, Martyn, As, Dirk, Ahlstrøm, Andreas P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 28.11.2017
• Subjects: Ablation; Albedo; Albedo (solar); Algae; Algal growth; Atmospheric particulates; Bare ice; Black carbon; Darkening; Dust storms; Glaciation; Greenland ice sheet; Ice; Ice sheet melting; Ice sheets; Impurities; light‐absorbing impurities; Melting; meltings; Microorganisms; Reflectance; Sea level

Surface ablation of the Greenland ice sheet is amplified by surface darkening caused by light‐absorbing impurities such as mineral dust, black carbon, and pigmented microbial cells. We present the first quantitative assessment of the microbial contribution to the ice sheet surface darkening, based o...