Articles | Volume 12, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
26 Nov 2018
Research article |
| 26 Nov 2018
| 26 Nov 2018
Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier
Brent C. Christner
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Biodiversity Institute, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Heather F. Lavender
Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Christina L. Davis
Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Biodiversity Institute, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Erin E. Oliver
Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
current address: Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Sarah U. Neuhaus
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Krista F. Myers
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Birgit Hagedorn
Sustainable Earth Research LLC, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
Slawek M. Tulaczyk
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Peter T. Doran
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
William C. Stone
Stone Aerospace, Del Valle, TX 78617, USA
Related authors
Adrian Barry-Sosa, Madison K. Flint, Justin C. Ellena, Jonathan B. Martin, and Brent C. Christner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-49, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-49, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study examined springs in North Central Florida focusing on how interactions between the surface and subsurface affected the properties of groundwater microbes. We found that microbes reproduced at rates that greatly exceed those documented for any other aquifer. Although the groundwater discharged to spring runs contains low concentrations of nutrients, our results indicate that microbes have access to sources of energy and produce new cells at rates similar to surface water bodies.
Shawn M. Doyle and Brent C. Christner
The Cryosphere, 16, 4033–4051, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4033-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4033-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Here we examine the diversity and activity of microbes inhabiting different types of basal ice. We combine this with a meta-analysis to provide a broad overview of the specific microbial lineages enriched in a diverse range of frozen environments. Our results indicate debris-rich basal ice horizons harbor microbes that actively conduct biogeochemical cycling at subzero temperatures and reveal similarities between the microbiomes of basal ice and other permanently frozen environments.
Ricardo Garza-Girón and Slawek M. Tulaczyk
The Cryosphere, 18, 1207–1213, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1207-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1207-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
By analyzing temperature time series over more than 20 years, we have found a discrepancy between the 2 m temperature values reported by the ERA5 reanalysis and the automatic weather stations in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.
Adrian Barry-Sosa, Madison K. Flint, Justin C. Ellena, Jonathan B. Martin, and Brent C. Christner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-49, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-49, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study examined springs in North Central Florida focusing on how interactions between the surface and subsurface affected the properties of groundwater microbes. We found that microbes reproduced at rates that greatly exceed those documented for any other aquifer. Although the groundwater discharged to spring runs contains low concentrations of nutrients, our results indicate that microbes have access to sources of energy and produce new cells at rates similar to surface water bodies.
Hilary A. Dugan, Peter T. Doran, Denys Grombacher, Esben Auken, Thue Bording, Nikolaj Foged, Neil Foley, Jill Mikucki, Ross A. Virginia, and Slawek Tulaczyk
The Cryosphere, 16, 4977–4983, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4977-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4977-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, a deep groundwater system has been hypothesized to connect Don Juan Pond and Lake Vanda, both surface waterbodies that contain very high concentrations of salt. This is unusual, since permafrost in polar landscapes is thought to prevent subsurface hydrologic connectivity. We show results from an airborne geophysical survey that reveals widespread unfrozen brine in Wright Valley and points to the potential for deep valley-wide brine conduits.
Shawn M. Doyle and Brent C. Christner
The Cryosphere, 16, 4033–4051, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4033-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4033-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Here we examine the diversity and activity of microbes inhabiting different types of basal ice. We combine this with a meta-analysis to provide a broad overview of the specific microbial lineages enriched in a diverse range of frozen environments. Our results indicate debris-rich basal ice horizons harbor microbes that actively conduct biogeochemical cycling at subzero temperatures and reveal similarities between the microbiomes of basal ice and other permanently frozen environments.
Sarah U. Neuhaus, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, Nathan D. Stansell, Jason J. Coenen, Reed P. Scherer, Jill A. Mikucki, and Ross D. Powell
The Cryosphere, 15, 4655–4673, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We estimate the timing of post-LGM grounding line retreat and readvance in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica. Our analyses indicate that the grounding line retreated over our field sites within the past 5000 years (coinciding with a warming climate) and readvanced roughly 1000 years ago (coinciding with a cooling climate). Based on these results, we propose that the Siple Coast grounding line motions in the middle to late Holocene were driven by relatively modest changes in regional climate.
Tun Jan Young, Carlos Martín, Poul Christoffersen, Dustin M. Schroeder, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, and Eliza J. Dawson
The Cryosphere, 15, 4117–4133, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4117-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4117-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
If the molecules that make up ice are oriented in specific ways, the ice becomes softer and enhances flow. We use radar to measure the orientation of ice molecules in the top 1400 m of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide. Our results match those from an ice core extracted 10 years ago and conclude that the ice flow has not changed direction for the last 6700 years. Our methods are straightforward and accurate and can be applied in places across ice sheets unsuitable for ice coring.
Krista F. Myers, Peter T. Doran, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, Neil T. Foley, Thue S. Bording, Esben Auken, Hilary A. Dugan, Jill A. Mikucki, Nikolaj Foged, Denys Grombacher, and Ross A. Virginia
The Cryosphere, 15, 3577–3593, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3577-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3577-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Lake Fryxell, Antarctica, has undergone hundreds of meters of change in recent geologic history. However, there is disagreement on when lake levels were higher and by how much. This study uses resistivity data to map the subsurface conditions (frozen versus unfrozen ground) to map ancient shorelines. Our models indicate that Lake Fryxell was up to 60 m higher just 1500 to 4000 years ago. This amount of lake level change shows how sensitive these systems are to small changes in temperature.
Slawek M. Tulaczyk and Neil T. Foley
The Cryosphere, 14, 4495–4506, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4495-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4495-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Much of what we know about materials hidden beneath glaciers and ice sheets on Earth has been interpreted using radar reflection from the ice base. A common assumption is that electrical conductivity of the sub-ice materials does not influence the reflection strength and that the latter is controlled only by permittivity, which depends on the fraction of water in these materials. Here we argue that sub-ice electrical conductivity should be generally considered when interpreting radar records.
Madeline E. Myers, Peter T. Doran, and Krista F. Myers
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-203, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-203, 2020
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
In polar regions like the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, snowfall is expected to increase. Small amounts of snow lower radiation for melting and photosynthesis by increasing the albedo of the surrounding dark soil. Two decades of snowfall data have shown that the volume of snowfall has been declining since 2009, which contradicts the anticipated increase; however, the number of days with snow has been increasing, which will slow glacial melt and lower productivity below the snow cover.
Anna Bergstrom, Michael N. Gooseff, Madeline Myers, Peter T. Doran, and Julian M. Cross
The Cryosphere, 14, 769–788, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-769-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-769-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study sought to understand patterns of reflectance of visible light across the landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. We used a helicopter-based platform to measure reflectance along an entire valley with a particular focus on the glaciers, as reflectance strongly controls glacier melt and available water to the downstream ecosystem. We found that patterns are controlled by gradients in snowfall, wind redistribution, and landscape structure, which can trap snow and sediment.
Sarah U. Neuhaus, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, and Carolyn Branecky Begeman
The Cryosphere, 13, 1785–1799, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1785-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1785-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Relatively few studies have been carried out on icebergs inside fjords, despite the fact that the majority of recent sea level rise has resulted from glaciers terminating in fjords. We examine the size and spatial distribution of icebergs in Columbia Fjord, Alaska, over a period of 8 months to determine their influence on fjord dynamics.
A. Damsgaard, D. L. Egholm, J. A. Piotrowski, S. Tulaczyk, N. K. Larsen, and C. F. Brædstrup
The Cryosphere, 9, 2183–2200, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2183-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2183-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This paper details a new algorithm for performing computational experiments of subglacial granular deformation. The numerical approach allows detailed studies of internal sediment and pore-water dynamics under shear. Feedbacks between sediment grains and pore water can cause rate-dependent strengthening, which additionally contributes to the plastic shear strength of the granular material. Hardening can stabilise patches of the subglacial beds with implications for landform development.
Related subject area
Discipline: Glaciers | Subject: Biogeochemistry/Biology
Biogeochemical evolution of ponded meltwater in a High Arctic subglacial tunnel
Variation in bacterial composition, diversity, and activity across different subglacial basal ice types
Heterogeneous CO2 and CH4 content of glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet and implications for subglacial carbon processes
Ashley J. Dubnick, Rachel L. Spietz, Brad D. Danielson, Mark L. Skidmore, Eric S. Boyd, Dave Burgess, Charvanaa Dhoonmoon, and Martin Sharp
The Cryosphere, 17, 2993–3012, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2993-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2993-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
At the end of an Arctic winter, we found ponded water 500 m under a glacier. We explored the chemistry and microbiology of this unique, dark, and cold aquatic habitat to better understand ecology beneath glaciers. The water was occupied by cold-loving and cold-tolerant microbes with versatile metabolisms and broad habitat ranges and was depleted in compounds commonly used by microbes. These results show that microbes can become established beneath glaciers and deplete nutrients within months.
Shawn M. Doyle and Brent C. Christner
The Cryosphere, 16, 4033–4051, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4033-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4033-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Here we examine the diversity and activity of microbes inhabiting different types of basal ice. We combine this with a meta-analysis to provide a broad overview of the specific microbial lineages enriched in a diverse range of frozen environments. Our results indicate debris-rich basal ice horizons harbor microbes that actively conduct biogeochemical cycling at subzero temperatures and reveal similarities between the microbiomes of basal ice and other permanently frozen environments.
Andrea J. Pain, Jonathan B. Martin, Ellen E. Martin, Åsa K. Rennermalm, and Shaily Rahman
The Cryosphere, 15, 1627–1644, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1627-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1627-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The greenhouse gases (GHGs) methane and carbon dioxide can be produced or consumed by geochemical processes under the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Chemical signatures and concentrations of GHGs in GrIS discharge show that organic matter remineralization produces GHGs in some locations, but mineral weathering dominates and consumes CO2 in other locations. Local processes will therefore determine whether melting of the GrIS is a positive or negative feedback on climate change driven by GHG forcing.
Cited articles
Abbasi, S. A. and Chari, K. B: Environmental management of urban lakes: with
special reference to Oussudu, Discovery Pub. House, New Delhi, India,
2008.
Anesio, A. M., Hodson, A. J., Fritz, A., Psenner, R., and Sattler, B.: High
microbial activity on glaciers: importance to the global carbon cycle, Glob.
Change Biol., 15, 955–960, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01758.x, 2009.
Anesio, A. M., Sattler, B., Foreman, C., Telling, J., Hodson, A., Tranter,
M., and Psenner, R.: Carbon fluxes through bacterial communities on glacier
surfaces, Ann. Glaciol., 51, 32–40, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795932092, 2010.
Anesio, A. M., Lutz, S., Christmas, N. A. M., and Benning, L. G: The
microbiome of glaciers and ice sheets, NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes, 3, 10,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-017-0019-0, 2017.
Arcone, S. A., Lawson, D. E., and Delaney, A. J.: Short-pulse radar wavelet
recovery and resolution of dielectric contrasts within englacial and basal
ice of Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, USA, J. Glaciol., 41, 68–86,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000017779, 1995.
Bamber, J. L. and Aspinall, W. P: An expert judgement assessment of future
sea level rise from the ice sheets, Nat. Clim. Change, 3, 424–427,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1778, 2013.
Benson, D. A., Karsch-Mizrachi, I., Lipman, D. J., Ostell, J., and Wheeler,
D. L.: GenBank, Nucleic Acids Research, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
UK, 36 (Database issue), p. D25, 2008.
Bolger, A. M., Lohse, M., and Usadel, B.: Trimmomatic: A flexible trimmer for
Illumina sequence data, Bioinformatics, 30, 2114–2120,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-017-0754-9, 2014.
Caporaso, J. G., Lauber, C. L., Walters, W. A., Berg-Lyons, D., Huntley, J.,
Fierer, N., Owens, S. M., Betley, J., Fraser, L., Bauer, M., and Gormley, N.:
Ultra-high-throughput microbial community analysis on the Illumina HiSeq and
MiSeq platforms, ISME J., 6, 1621–1624, https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2012.8, 2012.
Christner, B. C., Priscu, J. C., Achberger, A. M., Barbante, C., Carter, S.
P., Christianson, K., Michaud, A. B., Mikucki, J. A., Mitchell, A. C.,
Skidmore, M. L. Vick-Majors, T. J., and the WISSARD Science Team: A microbial
ecosystem beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, Nature, 512, 310–313,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13667, 2014.
Chu, V. W.: Greenland ice sheet hydrology: a review, Prog. Phys. Geogr., 38,
19–54, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133313507075, 2014.
Clark, E. B., Bramall, N. E., Christner, B., Flesher, C., Harman, J., Hogan,
B., Lavender, H., Lelievre, S., Moor, J., Siegel, V., and Stone, W. C.: An
intelligent algorithm for autonomous scientific sampling with the VALKYRIE
cryobot, Int. J. Astrobiol., 17, 247–257, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1473550417000313,
2017.
Cook, J. M., Hodson, A. J., and Irvine-Fynn, T. D.: Supraglacial weathering
crust dynamics inferred from cryoconite hole hydrology, Hydrol. Process., 30,
433–446, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10602, 2016.
Cooper, M. G., Smith, L. C., Rennermalm, A. K., Miège, C., Pitcher, L.
H., Ryan, J. C., Yang, K., and Cooley, S. W.: Meltwater storage in
low-density near-surface bare ice in the Greenland ice sheet ablation zone,
The Cryosphere, 12, 955–970, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-955-2018, 2018.
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P.,
Kobayashi, S., Andrae, U., Balmaseda, M. A., Balsamo, G., Bauer, P.,
Bechtold, P., Beljaars, A. C. M., van de Berg, L., Bidlot, J., Bormann, N.,
Delsol, C., Dragani, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A. J., Haimberger, L., Healy, S.
B., Hersbach, H., Hólm, E. V., Isaksen, L., Kållberg, P., Köhler,
M., Matricardi, M., McNally, A. P., Monge-Sanz, B. M., Morcrette, J.-J.,
Park, B.-K., Peubey, C., de Rosnay, P., Tavolato, C., Thépaut, J.-N., and
Vitart, F.: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the
data assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 553–597,
https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011.
Edwards, A. and Cameron, K. A.: Microbial life in supraglacial environments,
in: Psychrophiles: From Biodiversity to Biotechnology, chap. 4, Springer,
Cham, Switzerland, 2017.
Ensminger, S. L., Evenson, E. B., Larson, G. J., Lawson, D. E., Alley, R. B.,
and Strasser, J. C.: Preliminary study of laminated, silt-rich debris bands:
Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, USA, Ann. Glaciol., 28, 261–266,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756499781821850, 1999.
Fitzpatrick, A. A. W., Hubbard, A. L., Box, J. E., Quincey, D. J., van As,
D., Mikkelsen, A. P. B., Doyle, S. H., Dow, C. F., Hasholt, B., and Jones, G.
A.: A decade (2002–2012) of supraglacial lake volume estimates across
Russell Glacier, West Greenland, The Cryosphere, 8, 107–121,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-107-2014, 2014.
Fountain, A. G., Jacobel, R. W., Schlichting, R., and Jansson, P.: Fractures
as the main pathways of water flow in temperate glaciers, Nature, 433,
618–621, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03296, 2005.
Gardner, A. S. and Sharp, M. J.: A review of snow and ice albedo and the
development of a new physically based broadband albedo parameterization, J.
Geophys. Res.-Earth, 115, F01009, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JF001444, 2010.
Hadziavdic, K., Lekang, K., Lanzen, A., Jonassen, I., Thompson, E. M., and
Troedsson, C.: Characterization of the 18S rRNA gene for designing universal
eukaryote specific primers, PLoS ONE, 9, e87624,
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087624, 2014.
Hawes, I. and Schwarz, A. M.: Absorption and utilization of irradiance by
cyanobacterial mats in two ice-covered Antarctic lakes with contrasting light
climates, J. Phycol., 37, 5–15, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1529-8817.1999.014012005.x,
2001.
Hodson, A., Cameron, K., Bøggild, C., Irvine-Fynn, T., Langford, H.,
Pearce, D., and Banwart, S.: Glacial ecosystems, Ecol. Monogr., 78, 41–67,
https://doi.org/10.1890/07-0187.1, 2008.
Hodson, A., Cameron, K., Bøggild, C., Irvine-Fynn, T., Langford, H.,
Pearce, D., and Banwart, S.: The structure, biological activity and
biogeochemistry of cryoconite aggregates upon an Arctic valley glacier:
Longyearbreen, Svalbard, J. Glaciol., 56, 349–362,
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214310791968403, 2010.
Hodson, A., Paterson, H., Westwood, K., Cameron, K., and Laybourn-Parry, J.:
A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, J.
Glaciol., 59, 255–268, https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J052, 2013.
Hoffman, M. J., Fountain. A. G., and Liston, G. E.: Near-surface internal
melting: a substantial mass loss on Antarctic Dry Valley glaciers, J.
Glaciol., 60, 361–374, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J095, 2014.
Hopes, A., Thomas, D. N., and Mock, T.: Polar microalgae: functional
genomics, physiology, and the environment, in: Psychrophiles: From
Biodiversity to Biotechnology, chap. 14. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 2017.
Irvine-Fynn, T. D. and Edwards, A.: A frozen asset: the potential of flow
cytometry in constraining the glacial biome, Cytometry A, 85, 3–7,
https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.22411, 2014.
Irvine-Fynn, T. D. L., Edwards, A., Newton, S., Langford, H., Rassner, S. M.,
Telling, J., Anesio, A. M., and Hodson, A. J.: Microbial cell budgets of an
Arctic glacier surface quantified using flow cytometry, Environ. Microbiol.,
14, 2998–3012, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02876.x, 2012.
Karlstrom, L., Zok, A., and Manga, M.: Near-surface permeability in a
supraglacial drainage basin on the Llewellyn Glacier, Juneau Icefield,
British Columbia, The Cryosphere, 8, 537–546, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-537-2014,
2014.
Kumar, S., Stecher, G., and Tamura, K.: MEGA7: Molecular Evolutionary
Genetics Analysis version 7.0, Mol. Biol. Evol., 33, 1870–1874,
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msw054, 2016.
LaChapelle, E.: Errors in ablation measurements from settlement and
sub-surface melting, J. Glaciol., 3, 458–467,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000017202, 1959.
Langford, H., Hodson, A., Banwart, S., and Bøggild, C.: The microstructure
and biogeochemistry of Arctic cryoconite granules, Ann. Glaciol., 51, 87–94,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795932083, 2010.
Langley, E. S., Leeson, A. A., Stokes, C. R., and Jamieson, S. S.: Seasonal
evolution of supraglacial lakes on an East Antarctic outlet glacier, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, 8563–8571, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069511, 2016.
Lim, Y. I. and Jørgensen, S. B.: Distributed Dynamic Models and
Computational Fluid Dynamics, in: Computer Aided Process and Product
Engineering (CAPE), chap. 2, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany, 2006.
Lutz, S., McCutcheon, J., McQuaid, J. B., and Benning, L. G.: The diversity
of ice algal communities on the Greenland Ice Sheet as revealed by
oligotyping, Microb. Genom., 4, e000159, https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.000159, 2018.
Mankoff, K. D. and Russo, T. A.: The Kinect: A low-cost, high-resolution,
short-range 3D camera, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 38, 926–936,
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3332, 2013.
Müller, F. and Keeler, C.M.: Errors in short-term ablation measurements
on melting ice surfaces, J. Glaciol., 8, 91–105,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000020785, 1969.
Munro, D. S.: Comparison of melt energy computations and ablatometer
measurements on melting ice and snow, Arct. Alp. Res., 22, 153–162,
https://doi.org/10.2307/1551300, 1990.
Munro, D. S.: Delays of supraglacial runoff from differently defined
microbasin areas on the Peyto Glacier, Hydrol. Process., 25, 2983–2994,
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.8124, 2011.
Pace, M. L. and Prairie, Y. T.: Respiration in lakes, in: Respiration in
aquatic ecosystems, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, UK, 103–122, 2005.
Priscu, J. C.: Limnological methods for the McMurdo Long Term Ecological
Research Program, available at:
http://mcm.lternet.edu/sites/default/files/MCM_Limno_Methods_AC_23_Oct_2013.pdf
(last access: 12 November 2018), 2013.
Priscu, J. C., Priscu, L. R., Howard-Williams, C., and Vincent, W. F.: Diel
patterns of photosynthate biosynthesis by phytoplankton in permanently
ice-covered Antarctic lakes under continuous sunlight, J. Plankton. Res., 10,
333–340, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/10.3.333, 1988.
Priscu, J. C., Fritsen, C. H., Adams, E. E., Giovannoni, S. J., Paerl, H. W.,
McKay, C. P., Doran, P. T., Gordon, D. A., Lanoil, B. D., and Pinckney, J.
L.: Perennial Antarctic lake ice: an oasis for life in a polar desert,
Science, 280, 2095–2098, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.280.5372.2095, 1998.
Pruesse, E., Peplies, J., and Glöckner, F. O.: SINA: accurate
high-throughput multiple sequence alignment of ribosomal RNA genes,
Bioinformatics, 28, 1823–1829, https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/bts252, 2012.
Rassner, S. M., Anesio, A. M., Girdwood, S. E., Hell, K., Gokul, J. K.,
Whitworth, D. E., and Edwards, A.: Can the bacterial community of a High
Arctic glacier surface escape viral control?, Front. Microbiol., 7, 956,
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00956, 2016.
R Core Team: R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R
Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, available at:
https://www.R-project.org/ (last access: 12 November 2018), 2017.
Reynolds, H.: Evaluation of relationships between supraglacial stream
discharge, ablation rates, and climate conditions at the Matanuska Glacier,
Alaska, Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, Boulder, CO,
USA, 37, p. 84, 2005.
Riebesell, U., Schloss, I., and Smetacek, V.: Aggregation of algae released
from melting sea ice: implications for seeding and sedimentation, Polar
Biol., 11, 239–248, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238457, 1991.
Roslev, P. and King, G. M.: Application of a tetrazolium salt with a
water-soluble formazan as an indicator of viability in respiring bacteria,
Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 59, 2891–2896, 1993.
Schloss, P. D., Westcott, S. L., Ryabin, T., Hall, J. R., Hartmann, M.,
Hollister, E. B., Lesniewski, R. A., Oakley, B. B., Parks, D. H., Robinson,
C. J., and Sahl, J. W.: Introducing mothur: open-source,
platform-independent, community-supported software for describing and
comparing microbial communities, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 75, 7537–7541,
https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01541-09, 2009.
Scott, D., Hood, E., and Nassry, M.: In-stream uptake and retention of C, N
and P in a supraglacial stream, Ann. Glaciol., 51, 80–86,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795932065, 2010.
Smith, L. C., Chu, V. W., Yang, K., Gleason, C. J., Pitcher, L. H.,
Rennermalm, A. K., Legleiter, C. J., Behar, A. E., Overstreet, B. T.,
Moustafa, S. E., and Tedesco, M.: Efficient meltwater drainage through
supraglacial streams and rivers on the southwest Greenland ice sheet, P.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 112, 1001–1006, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1413024112, 2015.
Smith, L. C., Yang, K., Pitcher, L. H., Overstreet, B. T., Chu, V. W.,
Rennermalm, Å. K., Ryan, J. C., Cooper, M. G., Gleason, C. J., Tedesco,
M., and Jeyaratnam, J.: Direct measurements of meltwater runoff on the
Greenland ice sheet surface, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 114, E10622–E10631,
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1707743114, 2017.
Sole, A. J., Mair, D. W. F., Nienow, P. W., Bartholomew, I. D., King, M. A.,
Burke, M. J., and Joughin, I.: Seasonal speedup of a Greenland
marine-terminating outlet glacier forced by surface melt–induced changes in
subglacial hydrology, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 116, F03014,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JF001948, 2011.
Stevens, I. T., Irvine-Fynn, T. D., Porter, P. R., Cook, J. M., Edwards, A.,
Smart, M., Moorman, B. J., Hodson, A. J., and Mitchell, A. C.: Near-surface
hydraulic conductivity of northern hemisphere glaciers, Hydrol. Process., 32,
850–865, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11439, 2018.
Stibal, M., Box, J. E., Cameron, K. A., Langen, P. L., Yallop, M. L.,
Mottram, R. H., Khan, A. L., Molotch, N. P., Chrismas, N. A., Calì
Quaglia, F., and Remias, D.: Algae drive enhanced darkening of bare ice on
the Greenland ice sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 11463–11471,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075958, 2017.
Stone, W. C., Hogan, B., Siegel, V., Lelievre, S., and Flesher, C.: Progress
towards an optically powered cryobot, Ann. Glaciol., 55, 1–13,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2014AoG65A200, 2014.
Stone, W., Hogan, B., Siegel, V., Harman, J., Flesher, C., Clark, E.,
Pradhan, O., Gasiewski, A., Howe, S., and Howe, T.: Project VALKYRIE:
Laser-powered cryobots and other methods for penetrating deep ice on Ocean
Worlds, Outer Solar System: Prospective Energy and Material Resources,
Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 47–165, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73845-1_4,
2018.
Takeuchi, N., Kohshima, S., and Segawa, T.: Effect of cryoconite and snow
algal communities on surface albedo on maritime glaciers in south Alaska,
Bulletin of Glaciological Research, 20, 21–27, 2003.
Taylor, G. T. and Sullivan, C. W.: Vitamin B12 and cobalt cycling among
diatoms and bacteria in Antarctic sea ice microbial communities, Limnol.
Oceanogr., 53, 1862–1877, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2008.53.5.1862, 2008.
Tedstone, A. J., Bamber, J. L., Cook, J. M., Williamson, C. J., Fettweis, X.,
Hodson, A. J., and Tranter, M.: Dark ice dynamics of the south-west Greenland
Ice Sheet, The Cryosphere, 11, 2491–2506,
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2491-2017, 2017.
van Beusekom, A. E., O'Nell, S. R., March, R. S., Sass, L. C., and Cox, L.
H.: Re-analysis of Alaskan benchmark glacier mass-balance data using the
index method (No. 2010-5247), US Geological Survey, available at:
https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5247/pdf/sir20105247.pdf (last access:
12 November 2018), 2010.
Yallop, M. L., Anesio, A. M., Perkins, R. G., Cook, J., Telling, J., Fagan,
D., MacFarlane, J., Stibal, M., Barker, G., Bellas, C., and Hodson, A.:
Photophysiology and albedo-changing potential of the ice algal community on
the surface of the Greenland ice sheet, ISME J., 6, 2302–2313,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2012.107, 2012.
Zawierucha, K., Kolicka, M., Takeuchi, N., and Kaczmarek, Ł.: What animals
can live in cryoconite holes? A faunal review, J. Zool., 295, 159–169,
https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12195, 2015.
Zwally, H. J., Abdalati, W., Herring, T., Larson, K., Saba, J., and Steffen,
K.: Surface melt-induced acceleration of Greenland ice-sheet flow, Science,
297, 218–222, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1072708, 2002.
Short summary
Solar radiation that penetrates into the glacier heats the ice to produce nutrient-containing meltwater and provides light that fuels an ecosystem within the ice. Our analysis documents a near-surface photic zone in a glacier that functions as a liquid water oasis in the ice over half the annual cycle. Since microbial growth on glacier surfaces reduces the amount of solar radiation reflected, microbial processes at depths below the surface may also darken ice and accelerate meltwater production.
Solar radiation that penetrates into the glacier heats the ice to produce nutrient-containing...
