Pink glacial ice has mysteriously appeared in the Alps. The pink hue is caused by algae that accelerate the effects of climate change. Scientists are investigating the appearance of pink glacial ice in the Alps. Observers noticed the unusual hue in the Presena glacier in the far northern Italian region of Sondrio. Striking photos and videos have been making rounds on social media, with people marvelling over the appearance of pink ice in the Italian Alps.
According to a report prepared by Biagio Di Mauro from Italy’s National Research Council, “The pink snow observed on parts of the Presena glacier is most likely caused by the same plant found in Greenland. “The algae is not dangerous, it is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the spring and summer periods in the middle latitudes but also at the Poles.”
Ancylonema Nordenskioeldii is the scientific name for the plant which is present in Greenland’s so-called Dark Zone, where too the ice is melting. The report mentions that normally ice reflects more than 80% of the sun’s radiation. More algae appear as the ice melts rapidly, giving them vital water and air and thus adding red hues to the white ice.
“Everything that darkens the snow, causes it to melt because it accelerates the absorption of radiation. We are trying to quantify the effect of other phenomena besides the human one on the overheating of the Earth,” said Di Mauro, noting that the presence of hikers and ski lifts could also have an impact on the algae.
The colored ice is known as “Watermelon Snow”. Researchers are seeing much more of this Watermelon Snow in the Alps, but that’s not the only place it has appeared. Pink ice has also been reported in Greenland’s “dark zone.” There have also been reports of pink and red snow in Alaska and Antarctica.
