Rising temperatures have led to the growth of algal blooms in water bodies, mountainous areas, and coastal regions as far as the Arctic.
Rising temperatures have led to the growth of algal blooms in water bodies, mountainous areas, and coastal regions as far as the Arctic. Recently, pigmented snow algae have been spotted on Japan’s Mount Gassan after the winter season. The presence of such algal blooms is concerning because they reduce the reflectivity of snow-covered surfaces, resulting in faster snow melting. Additionally, the algal blooms can have unforeseen impacts on the surrounding wildlife and vegetation. The growth and color of snow algae in mountainous areas appear to differ depending on the season, elevation, and predominant vegetation. However, there is limited information on the appearance of algal blooms in the mountainous areas in Japan.
The appearance of snow algal blooms on Mount Gassan caught the attention of Nozomu Takeuchi, a Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Chiba University, Japan, who has decades of experience studying organisms in snowpacks and glaciers around the world. Together with Suzuki Takumi from the same faculty, Prof. Takeuchi documented the growth and composition of such blooms at different elevations on Mount Gassan. Their findings, which were published in Volume 55 Issue 1 of the journal Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, on March 13, 2023, shed light on the growth and spread of snow algal blooms in the mountainous regions of Japan.
Read more at: Chiba University
Algal blooms appear on Mount Gassan (top left) during the spring season when the snow begins to melt. Pictured at the top right, and bottom left and right are the yellow, green, and red colored algal blooms that were observed at the lower forest sites and the higher alpine areas, respectively. (Photo Credit: Nozomu Takeuchi from Chiba University)
