Cross-latitude drivers of snowmelt and albedo reduction: the impact of snow nutrients on growth and pigmentation of snow algae in Alaska, Washington, and the Antarctic.

This talk is one of three graduate student presentations (~15 minutes each) to be delivered during this week's speaker series. 

Warming temperatures and declining annual snowpack in the Pacific Northwest and beyond have significant impacts on watersheds, ecosystems, and the planet. The darkening of snow surfaces by inorganic deposits and biotic organisms reduces snow albedo—the reflectivity of snow—accelerating snowmelt. Snow algae, a key light-absorbing particle, thrives on snowpacks worldwide. Researchers aim to understand the drivers of these algal blooms, often called watermelon or blood snow, to predict their impact on albedo. Ellie is studying how snow nutrient composition influences bloom intensity across latitudes. She has conducted field campaigns on Mount Baker and in the Antarctic Peninsula and is incorporating a 2023 dataset from the Khan Lab on the Lemon Creek Glacier in Alaska. In her presentation, she will compare these regions and discuss her progress in understanding how variations in snow nutrients affect snow algae growth and, in turn, snow albedo.