Sat Feb 22 15:45:00 UTC 2025: ## Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Accelerated by Self-Sufficient Algae: Study
**London, February 22, 2025** – A new study published in *Nature Communications* reveals that dark-pigmented microalgae on the Greenland ice sheet are far more resilient and efficient than previously thought, significantly accelerating ice melt and contributing to rising sea levels.
Researchers utilized advanced single-cell imaging techniques to analyze the algae’s nutrient uptake. The findings show these algae are highly efficient at absorbing and storing nutrients, enabling them to thrive even in the nutrient-poor environment of the ice sheet. This self-sufficiency allows the algae to rapidly colonize newly exposed ice as the sheet melts, further darkening the surface and increasing heat absorption.
The study’s co-author, Dr. James Bradley from Queen Mary University of London, highlighted the concerning implications: “They don’t require large amounts of external nutrients to grow… as the ice sheet continues to melt, these algae are well-positioned to expand their coverage, accelerating melting and therefore sea-level rise.”
Previous research indicated that algal blooms could increase Greenland’s melt rate by 10-13%. This new study underscores the crucial role these algae play, emphasizing the need to integrate biological processes into climate models to accurately predict future ice sheet melt and its contribution to global sea-level rise. The Greenland ice sheet’s melting is already the largest single contributor of freshwater to rising sea levels. The self-sufficiency of these algae presents a significant challenge to efforts to mitigate climate change.
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