Recently, researchers have found that watermelon snow is a phenomenon caused by climate change. The snow is formed when temperature increases melt winter snow leftovers. However, the most important part of this discovery is the algae found on the ice. Algae are normally green but change color after producing a natural sunscreen which turns them red or pink. This change in color darkens the snow causing it to melt faster.
This discovery is important because people will better understand the role of these algae in the climate system. It also gives an idea of how dangerous the watermelon snow can be, and its participation in the melting of the Artic.
