Biological characteristics of dark colored material (cryoconite) on Canadian Arctic glaciers (Devon and Penny ice caps) (scientific paper)

• Main Authors: Nozomu Takeuchi, Shiro Kohshima, Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Roy M. Koerner
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change, International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska 2001
• Subjects: Arctic; albedo; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2403; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002403/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2403&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

Biological characteristics of dark colored material (cryoconite) collected from Canadian Arctic glaciers (Devon and Penny ice caps) are described. The cryoconite consists of mineral particles and organic matter. The amount of organic matter was 0.8-13.8% dry weight. Seven taxa of snow algae (Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta) were observed in the cryoconite. The mineral particles, the algae, the bacteria, and amorphous organic matter formed small dark colored granules (cryoconite granules). The size of the granules was approximately 0.4mm in diameter. Microscopy of the granules revealed that the granules contain bacteria with mucus like substance, and that the surface of the granules was covered with filamentous blue-green algae. These observations suggest that the granules are formed by algal and bacterial activity on the glaciers, and that the cryoconite includes a large amount of biological products. The amount of the cryoconite per unit area on the glacier surface was generally small (mean 48g m^<-2> in dry weight). In contrast, a large amount of the cryoconite was deposited at the bottom of cryoconite holes. The small amount of cryoconite on the glacier surface means that the effect of the cryoconite on albedo reduction of the glacier surface is small.