Dynamics of organic matter in algal blooms on the Greenland ice sheet.

Surface melting supports the development of pigmented algal blooms on the Greenland Ice Sheet, decreasing albedo and further accelerating melting. The interplay between carbon-fixing algae and carbon-respiring heterotrophic microorganisms ultimately controls the amount and composition of organic matter (OM) and thus the ice and snow color. Yet, the dynamics of microbially-derived OM on the Greenland Ice Sheet remain unclear.