Alpine glacial environments, like glaciers and permanent snow and ice patches, are often viewed as desolate landscapes, devoid of life. The usual idea is that organisms start colonizing landscapes after the ice has melted away. However, current research is changing that view as diverse sets of plants, animals and microorganisms are found to inhabit the ice.

Life have been found both on and inside, as well as under the ice, forming complex and unique communities. While some species are just regular visitors to glacial environments, others spend their entire life in this frozen landscape.

Few such environments have been studied thus far and with continued melting of glaciers and ice patches we risk loosing a wide set of organisms that we know very little about, as well as important biological interactions with glaciated environments.

In addition, glaciers and ice patches are important ecological archives of the past. As they melt numerous remains of organisms (bones, hair and feathers, droppings and even complete animals) emerge from the ice. However, once emerged, they quickly decompose and disappear unless collected.

So far, the study of glacial organisms have been focused on small organisms that permanently inhabit the ice. The aim of this project is to investigate the birds and mammals that visit, intentionally use, and leave their marks on these landscapes.

Links to other glacial biology projects and finds

General glacial biology:

– NSIDC All about snow

– Glacial Biology

– World glacial biology program

– Cryobiology

– Ice worms

– Glacier ecosystems

– Glacial nests

– Glacier mice

– The tiny universe on Alaskan glaciers

– Glacier National Park Ice Patch Project

– Yukon Ice Patches

– North West Territories Ice Patches

 

Spectacular finds of frozen organic remains:

– Ötzi

– Blue Babe

– Frozen mammoth

– 9000 year old Siberian bison mummy

– Tumat the 12.500 year old frozen puppy

– Frankenvirus from Siberia

– Cave lion from Siberia