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Alpine glacier algal bloom during a record melt year.
Jasmin L Millar1, Emily L M Broadwell1, Madeleine Lewis1,2
1Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Microbiology
|March 6, 2024
Summary
Glacier algal blooms on Swiss glaciers did not increase with meltwater in 2022. Physical constraints, not nutrients, likely limit bloom size on steep valley glaciers during high melt years.
Area of Science:
- Glaciology
- Microbial Ecology
- Limnology
Background:
- Glacier algal blooms are common during summer melt seasons.
- Increased melt may lead to larger blooms.
- The 2022 melt season in the Swiss Alps saw significant ice loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize glacier algal blooms on Morteratsch glacier during the record 2022 melt season.
- Investigate factors controlling bloom abundance and distribution.
- Test the hypothesis of nutrient limitation versus physical constraints.
Main Methods:
- Measured algal abundance, biovolume, photophysiology, and stoichiometry.
- Analyzed meltwater geochemistry.
- Conducted nutrient spiking experiments.
Main Results:
- Glacier algal abundance ranged from 1.78 × 10^4 to 8.95 × 10^5 cells ml^-1.
- Bloom abundance did not scale linearly with melt magnitude.
- No evidence of inorganic nutrient limitation was found.
Conclusions:
- Meltwater-redistribution and cell export likely limit bloom carrying capacity on steep valley glaciers.
- Physical constraints, rather than nutrient availability, may cap glacier algal blooms.
- This has implications for understanding glacier ecosystems under continued 21st-century melting.
