Mikroorganismen

Anyone who extends their ski touring season into early summer is bound to have seen them before. Many of us may know that the strange red spots on the early summer firn are algae (Fig.1 ). But they are by no means the only inhabitants of our treasured snow cover. Snow and glacier ice are much more than a sterile collection of frozen water. They are dynamic ecosystems made up of a multitude of microorganisms that have undergone hundreds of millions of years of evolution to adapt to these harsh environments.

During our mountain adventures, our high-altitude tours - in summer and winter - always take us to the icy glacier regions that are permanently covered in snow. According to the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive (FFH Directive), these areas belong to habitat type 8240 "permanent glaciers", which is described as "high alpine zones permanently covered by snow or ice". An extremely inhospitable place - and yet we can certainly speak of a habitat here.

Artificial snow has become an integral part of Alpine skiing and many ski resorts routinely cover the majority of their slopes with snow. When all the artificial snow melts in spring, the meltwater enters the water cycle. But what exactly is in it?