Greenland is one of the fastest-melting cryosphere regions on Earth. In fact, scientists say the large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible, and it’s happening now at an accelerating rate. Understanding what is driving this melting is crucial for predicting how much sea levels will rise and what that means for coastal communities around the world.
According to a new study led by researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, airborne mineral dust and other aerosols play a key role in accelerating ice loss, as their settlement on the ice sheet provides the nutrients necessary to fuel the growth of glacier algae.
In the study, which was recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, researchers analyzed mineral dust collected directly from the ice over a two-year period. They found that this dust, primarily from nearby land, is rich in phosphorus, a nutrient that fuels the growth of pigmented glacier algae. These microscopic organisms darken the ice surface, reducing albedo, which is the ice’s natural ability to reflect sunlight. When the surface becomes darker, it absorbs more solar energy, which leads to faster melting.
The research team also found airborne algae cells mixed in with the dust, suggesting that wind may help transport algae across the ice sheet to form new algal communities.
According to the researchers, future work will explore the impact of soot accumulation on ice. As wildfires become more frequent and intense, soot settling on ice may be darkening the surface even further.
