[ti:Scientists Study an Organism That Turns Snow Red]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.04]Scientists are trying to learn more about microorganisms
[00:04.04]that turn snow red and might cause snow to melt faster.
[00:09.92]Recently, researcher Eric Marechal
[00:13.08]collected what he called "snow blood"
[00:15.52]from a mountain area 2,500 meters above sea level.
[00:20.72]Snow blood is a kind of algae that is red.
[00:24.08]Its dark color causes snow to melt more easily.
[00:29.00]Scientist are concerned that the algae are spreading.
[00:33.72]"These algae are green. But when it's in the snow,
[00:37.00]it accumulates a little pigment like sunscreen
[00:39.76]to protect itself," said Marechal.
[00:42.64]He is the research director
[00:44.60]at Grenoble's Scientific Research National Center.
[00:48.40]He and his coworkers collected algae
[00:52.00]to study in the laboratory on Le Brevent Mountain
[00:55.80]near the town of Chamonix in France.
[01:00.04]The red-colored organism was formally identified
[01:03.32]and given its scientific name Sanguina nivaloides in 2019.
[01:10.32]Scientists are now trying to understand snow blood.
[01:13.72]Snow volume is decreasing because of rising global temperatures.
[01:18.28]This change in climate is especially affecting the Alps Mountains.
[01:24.80]There is a "double reason" for studying the algae, Marechal explained.
[01:29.72]"The first is that it's an area that is little-explored
[01:33.40]and the second is that this little explored area
[01:37.24]is melting before our eyes so it's urgent," he said.
[01:42.44]Alberto Amato is a researcher at CEA Center in Grenoble.
[01:48.00]He said the volume of algae
[01:50.52]appear to be growing because of climate change.
[01:53.60]He said algae grow faster
[01:56.00]with higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
[02:00.88]The research is ongoing.
[02:03.08]But the scientists say it is clear that the presence of algae
[02:07.52]speeds the melting of snow.
[02:09.96]This is because algae's color
[02:12.56]reduces snow's ability to reflect the sun's heat.
[02:17.68]Other kinds of algae, including a purple kind,
[02:20.92]as well as soot from forest fires have the same effect.
[02:25.48]If the algae do spread, snow and glacier
[02:28.68]melt around the world could speed up.
[02:32.68]"The warmer it is, the more algae there are
[02:35.68]and the more the snow melts quickly," said Amato.
[02:39.84]"It's a vicious circle and we are trying to understand
[02:43.56]all the mechanisms to understand this circle
[02:46.68]so we can try to do something about it," he added.
[02:50.68]I'm Dan Novak. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM