Surface albedo plays a controlling role in the surface energy budget, and albedo-induced
radiative forcing has a significant impact on climate and environmental change (eg, global …

Water availability is the dominant driver of microbial community structure and function in
desert soils. However, these habitats typically only receive very infrequent large-scale water …

Melting snow and glacier surfaces host microalgal blooms in polar and mountainous
regions. The aim of this study was to determine the dominant taxa at the species level in the …

Snow algal blooms frequently occur throughout alpine and polar environments during spring
and summer months; however, our understanding of bloom dynamics is limited. We tracked …

Observations of glacier albedo are sparse, despite being a first-order control on net solar
radiation and melt rates. Recent and forthcoming airborne and satellite imaging …

Glaciers cover nearly 10% of the Earth's surface and are unique biomes dominated by
microbial communities that support key ecosystem processes. The melting of glaciers is …

Red snow algal blooms reduce albedo and increase snowmelt, but little is known of their
extent, duration, and radiative forcing. We calibrated an established index by comparing …

As an important component of the climate system, permafrost responds significantly to
climate change, and its impact on the ecosystem cannot be ignored. In this study, we …

Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in the cryosphere can significantly influence the
global carbon cycle and radiation budget. However, WSOC in the snowpack has received …

Glacier algae, which are photosynthetic microbes growing on ice, considerably reduce the
surface albedo of glaciers and accelerate their melting rate. Although the growth of glacier …