Italy Scientists are studying the emergence of pink algae snow on glaciers in the Alps, a phenomenon that reinforces the effects of climate change.
Researchers are debating the origin of the algae, but expert Biagio Di Mauro from the Italian National Research Council believes the pink snow from the Presena Glacier is more likely caused by the same algae discovered earlier in Greenland. . “Algae is not dangerous. It is a natural phenomenon that occurs in spring and summer not only in mid-latitudes, but also in polar regions,” said Di Mauro. A type of seaweed called Ancylonema nordenskioeldii occurs in the dark area of Greenland, where the ice is melting.
Normally, ice reflects more than 80% of solar radiation back into the atmosphere. But when algae does appear, it darkens the ice, absorbs more heat, and melts faster. The more the algae spread, the faster the ice flows, giving them more water and air, in return on the white ice of the mountains of Passo Gavia, 2,618 meters high, tinged with red.
“Anything that darkens snow melts it because it absorbs radiation,” says Di Mauro. “We are trying to determine the effect of phenomena other than humans on making the Earth hotter quickly.” According to Di Mauro, the presence of mountaineers and ski lifts also affects the growth of algae.
Pink snow covered the Alps
