Arctic microbes are increasing glacial melt rate in a process current climate change models don’t consider. A grainy, soil-like substance—cryoconite–found on the Arctic’s surface, made of dust and industrial soot glued together by photosynthetic bacteria, darkens Greenland’s ice surface, causing melting and making small water-filled holes. The bacterially-made granules self-regulate hole depth and shape to maximize sunlight exposure, further melting glacial surface ice.
microbiologysociety.org/news/society-news/arctic-microbes-speeding-up-glacier-melting.html