Wind-blown dust is causing Greenland’s ice to melt faster

Wind-blown dust is causing Greenland’s ice to melt faster

Phosphorus, a mineral found in dust, is a key nutrient for algae bloom on Greenland's ice sheet.

Algae makes the ice darker and less able to reflect light, increasing the rate of glacial melt, which causes sea levels to rise.

A study has found glacier algal blooms are responsible for up to 13% of surface melting in this region.



As the world's ice sheets melt at an increasing rate, researchers are looking for explanations beyond just a hotter climate. A recent study found one answer may lie in the dust.

Published in Nature Communications, the study found that phosphorus, a mineral found in dust, is a key nutrient for an extensive glacier algae bloom on Greenland's ice sheet, known as the "dark zone." As the algae grow, the ice becomes darker, decreasing its ability to reflect sunlight and causing the ice to melt faster and sea levels to rise.

"It's important to understand the controls on algal growth because of their role in ice sheet darkening," Dr. Jenine McCutcheon, who led the study published in Nature Communications, told the University of Leeds. "Although algal blooms can cover up to 78 percent of the bare ice surfaces in the Dark Zone,