Jun Uetake

High net accumulation rates at Campo de Hielo Patago´nico Sur, South America, revealed by analysis of a 45.97 m long ice core

Abstract A 45.97 m long ice core was recovered in the accumulation area of Glaciar Tyndall (50˚59’05’’ S, 73˚31’12’’W; 1756ma.s.l.), Campo de Hielo Patagόnico Sur (southern Patagonia icefield), during December 1999. the firn core was subjected to visual stratigraphic observation and bulk density measurements in the field, and later to analyses of water isotopes (δ18O, δD), major dissolved ions and snow algal biomass. the drillhole remained dry down to about 43 m depth, where a water-soaked layer appeared. Seasonal cycles were found for δ18O, δD and the D-excess, although the amplitudes of the cycles decreased with depth. Major dissolved ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl–, SO4 2–) and algal biomass exhibit rapid decreases in the upper 3 m, probably due to meltwater elution. Annual increments defined by the δ18O and D-excess peaks suggest that the minimum net accumulation rates at this location were 17.8ma–1 in 1997/98–1998/99 and 411.0 ma–1 in 1998/99–1999/2000. These are much higher values than those previously obtained from past ice-core studies in Patagonia, but are of the same order of magnitude as those predicted from various observations in ablation areas of Patagonian glaciers.

Spatial distribution and abundance of red snow algae on the Harding Icefield, Alaska derived from a satellite image

[1] Red snow caused by algal bloom is common on glaciers and snowfields worldwide. Description of spatial distributions of snow algal blooms is important for understanding snow algae’s unique life in an extremely cold environment and for determining the effect of algae through the reduction of surface albedo. Here we present the spatial distribution of red snow algae on the Harding Icefield, Alaska retrieved from a satellite image. Field observations on the icefield conducted in August 2001 revealed visible red snow, particularly near the snowline. Field measurements of spectral reflectance on the surface revealed the specific spectral absorption of algal pigments. We found a significant correlation between snow algal biomass and a reflectance ratio of SPOT (Satellite Probatoire d’ Observation de la Terre) satellite band of wavelength 610–680 nm to band 500–590 nm. Using this relationship between the reflectance ratio and algal biomass, we estimated the distribution and abundance of red snow across the icefield using a SPOT satellite image. The spatial distribution of red snow on the icefield obtained by mapping the reflectance ratio matched field observations across the icefield with more red algal blooms on the continental than the maritime side of the icefield. Area averaged mean carbon content estimated from the red algal biomass for the icefield on the image was 1.2 kg km 2 .

A snow algal community on Akkem glacier in the Russian Altai mountains

Abstract Snow algae are cold-tolerant algae growing on snow and ice and have been reported on glaciers in many parts of the world. Blooms of snow algae can reduce the surface albedo of snow and ice and significantly affect their melting. In addition, snow algae found in ice cores can be potential indicators of the paleo-environment, making them of great interest both to the biology and the geophysics of glaciers. A snow algal community was investigated in 2002 and 2003 on Akkem glacier in the Russian Altai mountains, where no information on its biological community has previously been available. Five species of snow algae including green algae and cyanobacteria were observed on the glacier. Red snow due to a bloom of algae (Chloromonas sp.) was visually apparent in the snow area during our study periods. The total algal cell-volume biomass on the glacier ranged from 97 to 1156μL m−2, which is equivalent to that reported previously on glaciers in the Himalaya and Alaska. The community structure showed that Mesotaenium berggrenii and/or Ancylonema nordenskioeldii, which are common species on glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere, were dominant in the ice area, while Chloromonas sp. was dominant in the snow area. Such community structures are similar to those on Alaskan and Arctic glaciers but differ from those on Himalayan and Tibetan glaciers, even though the Altai mountains are geographically closer to the Himalaya and Tibet than to Alaska. The difference in algal communities between the Altaic and other glaciers is discussed together with physical and chemical conditions affecting the algae.

Biological ice-core analysis of Sofiyskiy glacier in the Russian Altai

Abstract We examined microorganisms and pollen in a pit (4.5m deep) and a shallow ice core (25.01m long) from Sofiyskiy glacier in the Altai mountains of Russia for potential use in dating ice cores from a mid-latitude glacier. The ice-core and pit samples contained various green algae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi and pollen. In the vertical profiles of the pit, algal biomass peaks corresponded to high δ18O layers and Pinaceae pollen peaks, suggesting that these algae grew during the melt season. In contrast, the layer with the lowest δ18O contained almost no algal cells. Major peaks of the cyanobacteria, bacteria and a fungus roughly corresponded to those of the algae. However, seasonal changes in these microorganisms became indistinct deeper in the core, as did the seasonal variation in δ18O and major ions, most likely due to heavy meltwater percolation and/or post-depositional decomposition. In contrast, clear seasonal cycles were evident in the algal biomass and pollen in snow samples. Assuming that the peaks of the snow algae and Pinaceae pollen marked summer layers and that the layers with almost no snow algae represented the winter layers, we estimated that the ice core contained 16 annual layers (1985–2001). The mean annual mass balance for the period was estimated to be 1.01mw.e. The value agreed well with those estimated from stake measurements, indicating that snow algae and pollen could provide reliable boundary markers of annual layers in the ice cores of this region.

Dating of seasonal snow/firn accumulation layers using pollen analysis

Reliable chronologies in ice cores and snow pits from many alpine glaciers in latitudes between 60° N and 60° S are often difficult to establish owing to problems with annual-layer counting. Problems arise from melting, wind erosion and the negligible amount of precipitation in some seasons, all of which tend to obscure the seasonal variations in δ 18 O and chemical concentrations that are typically used to date ice cores. However, alpine glaciers contain many species of pollen grains that peak at particular times of the year. We used the peaks in Betulaceae, Pinus, Artemisia and a combination of Abies and Picea pollen species to determine the four seasonal layers of a snow pit on Belukha glacier in Russia’s Altai Mountains. Comparing the pollen-dated profiles with wind and precipitation records allows us to determine where a seasonal layer is missing. Thus, the pollen-dating method described here may be a useful tool to measure the annual snow deposition on alpine glaciers, even when some seasonal layers are eroded by wind or missing due to negligible precipitation.

Isolation of oligotrophic yeasts from supraglacial environments of different altitude on the Gulkana Glacier (Alaska)

Psychrophilic yeasts have been isolated from supra- and subglacial ice at many sites worldwide. To understand the ecology of psychrophilic yeasts on glaciers, we focused on their adaptation to wide range of nutrient concentrations and their distribution with altitude on the Gulkana Glacier in Alaska. We found various culturable psychrophilic yeasts on the ice surfaces of the glacier, and 11 species were isolated with incubation at 4 °C in four different dilutions of agar medium. Some of our isolated species (Rhodotorula psychrophenolica, Rhodotorula aff. psychrophenolica, Rhodotorula glacialis, and Basidiomycota sp. 1) can grow on the low dissolved organic matter (DOC) concentrations medium (7.6 mg L(-1)) which is close to the typical level of supraglacial melt water, suggesting that these species can inhabit in any supraglacial meltwater. Otherwise, most of other species were isolated only from higher DOC concentration medium (183 mg L(-1) -18.3 g L(-1)), suggesting that these are inhabitant around the cryoconite, because DOC concentrations in melted surface-ice contained cryoconite is much higher than in melted water. Similarity of altitudinal distribution between culturable yeast and algal biomass suggests that the ecological role played by the cold-adapted yeasts is as organic matter decomposers and nutrient cyclers in glacier ecosystem.

Microbial community variation in cryoconite granules on Qaanaaq Glacier, NW Greenland

Cryoconite granules are aggregations of microorganisms with mineral particles that form on glacier surfaces. To understand the processes by which the granules develop, this study focused on the altitudinal distribution of the granules and photosynthetic microorganisms on the glacier, bacterial community variation with granules size and environmental factors affecting the growth of the granules. Size-sorted cryoconite granules collected from five different sites on Qaanaaq Glacier were analyzed. C and N contents were significantly higher in large (diameter greater than 250 μm) granules than in smaller (diameter 30-249 μm) granules. Bacterial community structures, based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, were different between the smaller and larger granules. The filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidesmis priestleyi was the dominant bacterial species in larger granules. Multivariate analysis suggests that the abundance of mineral particles on the glacier surface is the main factor controlling growth of these cyanobacteria. These results show that the supply of mineral particles on the glacier enhances granule development, that P. priestleyi is likely the key species for primary production and the formation of the granules and that the bacterial community in the granules changes over the course of the granule development.

DNA analysis for section identification of individual Pinus pollen grains from Belukha glacier, Altai Mountains, Russia

Pollen taxon in sediment samples can be identified by analyzing pollen morphology. Identification of related species based on pollen morphology is difficult and is limited primarily to genus or family. Because pollen grains of various ages are preserved at below 0 C in glaciers and thus are more likely to remain intact or to suffer little DNA fragmentation, genetic information from such pollen grains should enable identification of plant taxa below the genus level. However, no published studies have attempted detailed identification using DNA sequences obtained from pollen found in glaciers. As a preliminary step, this study attempted to analyze the DNA of Pinus pollen grains extracted from surface snow collected from the Belukha glacier in the Altai Mountains of Russia in the summer of 2003. A 150-bp rpoB fragment from the chloroplast genome in each Pinus pollen grain was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and DNA products were sequenced to identify them at the section level. A total of 105 pollen grains were used for the test, and sequences were obtained from eight grains. From the sequences obtained, the pollen grains were identified as belonging to the section Quinquefoliae. Trees of the extant species Pinus sibirica in the section Quinquefoliae are currently found surrounding the glacier. The consistency of results for this section suggests that the pollen in the glacier originated from the same Pinus trees as those found in the immediate surroundings.

Establishing the Timing of Chemical Deposition Events on Belukha Glacier, Altai Mountains, Russia, Using Pollen Analysis

Abstract In this study, we used a 4.00-m pit on Belukha glacier in Russias Altai region and attempted to establish the timing of chemical deposition events by analyzing pollen profiles. As the pollen deposition of each examined taxon on the glacier surfaces followed a distinct seasonal phenology, seasonal layers could be identified over a two-year period. The seasonal layer boundaries reconstructed from the pollen analyses were in close agreement with the in situ observations and indicated that the snow deposition on the glacier originates mainly from summer precipitation. The record of oxygen isotope ratios showed a relatively high mean value of −13.3‰, which was attributed to the absence of winter depositions. The formate (HCOO−) concentration records displayed seasonal variation with the highest emissions occurring in the spring, and a dust event in the spring of 2003 was detected from the Mg2+, Ca2+, and dust concentration profiles. Taken together, these results suggest the analysis of pollen profiles in combination with chemical data in snow pits and ice cores may lead to better reconstruction of seasonal variation.

Numerical simulation of spectral albedos of glacier surfaces covered with glacial microbes in Northwestern Greenland

To clarify the effect of light absorbing impurities including glacial microbes spectral albedo measurements using a spectrometer for spectral domains of the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared have been carried out on ablation area in Qaanaaq Glacier in northwestern Greenland in July 2011. The almost glacier surfaces in the ablation area were covered with cryoconite (biogenic dust) on thin ice grain layer above bare ice. There were also snow-covered surfaces including red snow (snow algae). The measured spectral albedos had a remarkable contrast between red snow surface and cryoconite-covered ice surface in the spectral domain from the ultraviolet to the visible, where red snow albedo increased rapidly with the wavelength, while the cryoconite albedo was relatively flat to the wavelength. We simulated the spectral albedos of these surfaces with a radiative transfer model for the atmosphere-snow system. The single scattering properties are calculated with Mie theory by assuming red snow gains to be sphe...