Articles | Volume 19, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5983-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-19-5983-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Nov 2025
Research article |
| 20 Nov 2025
| 20 Nov 2025
Temporal and vertical changes in snow microbial communities during the melting season below canopy in Northern Japan
Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Shiga 520-2113, Japan
Kino Kobayashi
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, 263–8522, Japan
Daiki Seto
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, 263–8522, Japan
Fuki Konishi
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, 263–8522, Japan
Kaito Wada
Department of Earth Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, 263–8522, Japan
Suzunosuke Usuba
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, 263–8522, Japan
Nozomu Takeuchi
Department of Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, 263–8522, Japan
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Despite the daily changes in solar radiation and temperature, there is limited understanding of diel vertical distribution in microbial communities within snow and ice environments. Through twenty-four hours of snow sampling and monitoring, our study revealed that motile microbes within the snowpack vertically migrate, seemingly to escape from intense daytime solar radiation.
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Short summary
We described the temporal and vertical changes in biological communities, including snow algae, microinvertebrates, and snow fungi, within snowpacks in Northern Japan. Temporal changes in microbial activity, showing clear shifts across three defined periods of the melting season, were regulated by snow depth, temperature increase, and the phenology of trees above the snow surface, highlighting the complex interplay between physical and biological factors in shaping snow ecosystems.
We described the temporal and vertical changes in biological communities, including snow algae,...
