Ecological System of the Himalayan Glacier

• Kohshima Shiro

  東京工業大学大学院生命理工学研究科

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• ヒマラヤの氷河生態系

Abstract

Biological activity on glaciers has been believed to be extremely limited. However, in Himalayan glaciers, we found biotic communities including various cold-tolerant insects and copepods that were feeding on algae and bacteria growing in the snow and ice. Thus, the glaciers are simple and relatively closed ecosystems sustained by primary production in the snow and ice. Since microorganisms growing on the glacier are stored in the glacial strata every year, ice-core samples contain many layers with these microorganisms. Recently, it was shown that these microorganisms in the ice-core could be new environmental markers for past environment. It was also suggested that the microbial activity on the glacier could affect the mass balance and fluctuation of the Himalayan glaciers because blooms of algae and bacteria on the glacier was found to reduce the surface albedo and significantly affect the glacier melting.

Journal

• ヒマラヤ学誌

  ヒマラヤ学誌 8 113-120, 2007-03-31

  The Association for the Studies of Himalaya, Kyoto University

Keywords

• 225.8

Details

• CRID: 1390853649770062336
• NII Article ID: 120005466073
• NII Book ID: AN10392447
• DOI: 10.14989/hsm.8.113
• HANDLE: 2433/185959
• ISSN: 09148620
• Text Lang: ja
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • IRDB
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Allowed