Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
Penguin nutrients may help Antarctic green snow melt faster
Researchers found green snow algae contained about ten times more phosphate than red algae on the Antarctic Peninsula.
The phosphate likely comes from penguin droppings near the green snow patches.
Snow algae grow in the surface layer during summer, and green cells contain more chlorophyll than red ones.
Chlorophyll absorbs sunlight, so darker snow can absorb more energy and melt sooner.
The team analyzed 111 samples from nine coastal sites during one summer, so the findings show an association rather than proving that penguin waste caused faster melting.
Current projections of coastal snow loss in Antarctica do not include these effects, and researchers say this may mean they underestimate melting and the spread of ice-free areas.
Green snow algae on the Antarctic Peninsula contained about ten times as much phosphate as red snow algae, a nutrient likely supplied by penguin droppings.
Green algae contained more than twice as much chlorophyll per cell as red algae, which may help them absorb more sunlight and speed snowmelt.
The study analyzed 111 snow samples collected at nine coastal sites during one summer.
The researchers said the findings show a possible biological influence that is not included in projections of Antarctic coastal snow loss.
The study found an association between penguin influence, nutrients and green snow, but did not measure whether penguin nutrients caused faster melting.
- Who
- A research team led by Alia Khan of the University of Colorado Boulder, with lead author Elise Ryan.
- What
- The team found higher phosphate levels in green than red Antarctic snow and identified penguin guano as the likely source.
- When
- Samples were collected between January and March 2025.
- Where
- Nine coastal sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, from Deception Island south to Stonington Island.
- Why
- The researchers investigated how wildlife and nutrients may affect snow algae and coastal snowmelt.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The team collected 111 snow samples at nine coastal sites from Deception Island south to Stonington Island.
The samples were melted in the dark, and researchers counted algae cells and measured pigments and nutrients.
- Green snow phosphate
- Median of 114 micromoles per liter
- Red snow phosphate
- Median of 11.4 micromoles per liter
- Clean snow phosphate
- Median of 1.5 micromoles per liter
- Samples
- 111 total: 48 green, 45 red and 18 clean
- Study locations
- Nine coastal sites spanning roughly 360 miles (580 kilometers)
What people are saying
The link between wildlife, nutrients, and snow algae is a critical missing component in projections of expansion of ice-free areas in Antarctica,
Without accounting for these biological darkening effects, we are likely underestimating how rapidly coastal snowpacks are melting and how fast ice-free terrain will expand across Antarctica.
[Penguin] poop can visually look similar to the red snow algae,
It’s very stinky working near penguins. They’re just waddling around in their poop and tracking it all over the snow.