Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4957-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-20-4957-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Distinct phototrophic community structure on a Central Asian glacier: predominance of filamentous cyanobacteria and absence of glacier algae (Ancylonema spp.)
Yunjie Chen
Center for Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Chayu Integrated Observation and Research Station of the Xizang Autonomous Region, Xizang, China
Nozomu Takeuchi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Sota Tanaka
Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Saifei Li
Center for Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Weizhen Zhang
Center for Pan-Third Pole Environment, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Xingyu Huang
Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Zhongqin Li
State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
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Short summary
Photosynthetic microbes can darken snow and ice, accelerating glacier melt. While well studied in the Arctic, this process remains poorly understood in dust-rich Central Asian glaciers. We investigated microbial communities on a Tien Shan glacier across a melt season. Snow algae dominated early, but cyanobacteria prevailed once bare ice was exposed. Unlike the Arctic, typical glacier algae were absent, indicating a distinct ecosystem that may influence regional melting and water resources.
Photosynthetic microbes can darken snow and ice, accelerating glacier melt. While well studied...