Pigmented algae are well adapted to grow on exposed ice in the Arctic as the snow line recedes, raising concerns of a feedback loop that could lead to faster sea level rise

Greenland's ice sheet currently spans over 1.7 million square kilometers and is the largest freshwater reservoir in the northern hemisphere. The ice sheet has already lost over a trillion tonnes of its total mass since the 1980s,

New research, published in The Cryosphere, has identified a critical threshold—called a “tipping point”—that could determine whether the Greenland ice sheet can recover or if it will continue melting until it disappears completely.

The vast landmass is melting quickly due to climate change, and may rapidly cause the complete loss of the island's ice.

The tiny ice inhabitants darken the glacier surface and can thus accelerate its melting.

The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is the single largest contributor of freshwater to global sea-level rise. Previous research has shown that algal blooms on the ice sheet’s western margin can enhance melt rates by 10 to 13%.

New research reveals that ice algae can store nutrients which may enable them to colonize more of the ice sheet, darkening and melting it.

Glaciers are huge white ice masses that can reflect a lot of sunlight. However, especially where the glaciers are not covered in snow and the bare ice is exposed, they sometimes have dark patches. These are microscopic algae that grow on the ice and darken its surface.