Italian glacier turns pink
意大利现粉色冰川
A glacier in Italy is turning pink because of algae - a development that will make the ice melt faster, a scientist studying the phenomenon says. Pink snow has appeared at the Presena glacier in northern Italy, said researcher Biagio Di Mauro, of the Institute of Polar Sciences at Italy"s National Research Council. While "watermelon snow," as it is sometimes known, is fairly common in the Alps in spring and summer, it has been more marked this year. Mauro believes an algae named Chlamydomonas nivalis is responsible for the change in color.
Algal blooms are bad news for the health of the glacier as darker snow absorbs more energy, meaning it melts faster.
近日，意大利一座冰川因为藻类变成了粉红色，研究这一现象的专家表示，这种发展变化将使冰川融化得更快。意大利国家研究委员会极地科学研究所研究员比亚吉奥•迪•莫罗称，意大利北部普勒塞纳冰川已出现粉红色的雪。这种粉红色的雪有时也被称为"西瓜雪"，在阿尔卑斯的春季和夏季相当常见，但今年这种现象更为显着。莫罗称认为名为"雪衣藻"的藻类是造成冰川变色的原因。
藻类大量繁殖对冰川健康来说是个坏消息，因为深色的雪会吸收更多能量，这意味着冰雪会融化得更快。
