We distinguish two different habitat regions for snow algae. In the ablation area, we observe algae in meltwater channels and potholes on the ice surface and also between the ice crystals. In the accumulation area, they prefer to develop between the snow grains, or in the water films covering the snow. The difference in the physical processes of these areas induce a difference in the amount and type of algal communities we find. Melting in the ablation area concentrates vital nutrients for the algae, and features such as potholes of stagnant meltwater favor a stable environment for growth as opposed to erratic frequent drainage and refreezing in the accumulation area or near the firn line altitude elevation.
Species vary according to their preferred habitats.
Since they are preserved in ice layers and can be examined through ice cores, correlations can be established between climate and algae community growths at different altitudes. This method is similar to the one used in marine cores with the foram organisms. This signal can be correlated with other more established signals such as O 18 signals and can indicate age sequences in our algal core. In the Arctic, microorganisms are carried to their ice habitats by anthropogenic and background aerosols from the Arctic atmosphere in the winter months. We observe growth when leaching takes place during the snowmelt.