Greenland's ice sheet currently spans over 1.7 million square kilometers and is the largest freshwater reservoir in the northern hemisphere. The ice sheet has already lost over a trillion tonnes of its total mass since the 1980s,

Pigmented algae are well adapted to grow on exposed ice in the Arctic as the snow line recedes, raising concerns of a feedback loop that could lead to faster sea level rise

The vast landmass is melting quickly due to climate change, and may rapidly cause the complete loss of the island's ice.

The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is the single largest contributor of freshwater to global sea-level rise. Previous research has shown that algal blooms on the ice sheet’s western margin can enhance melt rates by 10 to 13%.

The tiny ice inhabitants darken the glacier surface and can thus accelerate its melting.

Most people probably think of glaciers as massive blocks of white ice. But many glaciers have dark patches because of the growth of algae, which can... | Earth And The Environment

Researchers found that Greenland’s ice algae store phosphorus, allowing them to expand and darken ice surfaces, reducing reflectivity and accelerating melt rates. As climate change exposes more ice, these algae may worsen Arctic ice loss.

Glaciers are huge white ice masses that can reflect a lot of sunlight. However, especially where the glaciers are not covered in snow and the bare ice is exposed, they sometimes have dark patches. These are microscopic algae that grow on the ice and darken its surface.