Algae Darken Greenland Ice, Speeding Up Melting

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Microscopic algae create vast dark patches across Greenland's ice sheet, visible even from orbiting satellites.

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These dark-colored algae absorb sunlight and speed up ice melt, causing one-tenth of all melting on Greenland's west coast.

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Scientists at Max Planck Institute discovered these algae thrive with minimal nutrients, absorbing nitrogen and storing phosphorus efficiently.

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Lead researcher Laura Halbach pioneered first-ever measurements showing how ice algae survive in harsh Arctic conditions.

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As warming temperatures expose more ice, these resilient algae spread to new areas, creating a continuous cycle of faster melting.

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The darkened ice absorbs heat like a black car in sunlight, while clean ice reflects heat like a white car.

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Greenland's melting ice pours massive amounts of freshwater into oceans, pushing sea levels higher worldwide.

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The ice sheet shows increasing signs of instability, with new cracks appearing as temperatures rise.

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Latest research helps scientists improve climate models by including these biological processes in melt predictions.

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