The small & mighty: the role of microbes in glacial melting.

Dr. Stefanie Lutz is a post-doctoral research associate at Agroscope. Her research focuses on the diversity, ecology, stress adaptations and climate resilience of microorganisms. The Polar regions are disproportionally affected by global warming and glaciers are in fast decline due to rising temperatures; this will have severe consequences for our planet. In one of her projects, she investigate how pigmented algae living in snow and ice contribute to the darkening of glacial surfaces, and in turn, accelerate glacial melting.

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She will be talking about the diversity and ecology of microorganisms in cold environments (in particular in the Arctic), their impact on glacial melt rates and implications for the climate.