Viral News / The blood coming out of the glacier, the scientists' study found a surprising result

What would you call it if a glacier that looked completely white suddenly started showing red spots or if the entire glacier turns red? Are there rivers of blood flowing there? Has there been any genocide or massacre? No.. It is scientifically called 'Glacier Blood' in the common language. Scientists are surprised to see this red bloody color. But there is a mysterious creature behind the red color of the white snow glacier. Due to which this entire glacier turned red. Now scientists have started a new project to test the blood of glacier.

Scientists have started the AlpAlga Project to investigate the glaciers deposited on the Alps mountains of France. In this, the blood coming out of glaciers deposited from an altitude of 3,280 feet to 9,842 feet will be tested. In the glaciers that have been examined so far, the reason for the bleeding of the glacier has come to the fore, it is surprising. Because the organism that caused this usually lives in the oceans, rivers and lakes, but how is the creature living in the depths of the water suddenly capturing the cold glaciers?

Eric Marshall, coordinator of the Alpaalga project, said that this is a special type of microalgae. which is growing in the glacier. Now the problem with this is that when this algae living in water reacts with the weather of the mountains, it leaves a red color, due to which the glacier starts looking red for several kilometers. Because these microalgae cannot tolerate environmental changes and pollution. There is such a reaction from its body due to which the ice starts turning red.

Eric Marshal is also the director of the Laboratory of Cellular and Plant Physiology in Grenoble, France. Eric said that people only know that algae are found in oceans, rivers and lakes. But few people know that microalgae have reached glaciers by flying with particles of ice and air. Some have even reached very high altitudes. When our team reached the glacier of the French Alps, the view there was completely red. These microalgae were growing in the water present between the small particles of ice. The effect of climate change and pollution was visible on it.

Usually the cells of microalgae are a few thousandths of an inch. But when they gather together, they form a whole colony. Or they are dispersed in different places as a single cell. They make sugar through photosynthesis. This sugar is used by the entire ecosystem. Whether it is used directly or indirectly.

The algae that redden the glaciers on the French Alps mountains are technically green algae. Whose phylum is Chlorophyta. But they contain certain types of chlorophyll which complete the process of photosynthesis. Another chemical found in this algae along with chlorophyll are carotenoids that produce orange or red pigments. Like carrots. Carotenoids are usually antioxidants that protect algae from bright light. In addition, it also protects against ultraviolet radiation at high altitude.

Eric Marshall said that when the algae bloom, that is, the algae spread rapidly, that too on a large scale, then the snow around it starts to look orange or red. This is because of the carotenoids. There seems to be a bloody war raging all over the glacier. Eric told that he had last seen these glaciers in the spring of 2019. Then there the glacier was looking red in color for several kilometers away.

Eric said that scientists have found out how glaciers turn red, but the biggest issue is that scientists do not know much about the biology of this algae. It is also not known how it is flourishing on mountain ecosystems. It is not known what effect this will have on climate change. Generally, the reason for the growth of algae in the ocean is due to nutrient-laden pollution. But on the mountains this nourishment reaches through rain and wind. Because of which it will flourish. Apart from this, the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can also be the reason for its growth.

According to a study published in Nature magazine in 2016, red colored ice reflects less light, due to which the ice starts melting faster. That is, it can shorten the life of the algae glacier. But it is still unclear whether the occurrence of reddening of glaciers has increased due to the increase of sea algae, environmental change and pollution. Due to which other organisms living in that ecosystem are being threatened.

Eric said that at this time all we can say is that these algae can be a sign of environmental change. Because people living around these glaciers and mountains are now saying every year that the glacier has turned bloody again. But we cannot measure its number. According to a recent report published on June 7 in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, scientists on the French Alps studied glaciers between 4,000 and 9645 feet in height. In which he discovered such microalgae species that are turning the ice red.

This report was shared by Eric and his team.