In spring, Alpine glaciers sometimes turn a thin layer of red or orange. This phenomenon, known as "glacier blood", is due to the proliferation of a microscopic alga called
Sanguina nivaloides. Working in collaboration with scientists from CNRS, CEA, Météo-France, INRAE and Grenoble Alpes University, we took an interest in this organism, which forms the backbone of a little-known snow ecosystem. Our results are published in
Nature Communications.