Not Only Water That's Being Released from the Ice

The Earth's glaciers are rapidly disappearing. Scientists studying surface meltwaters from 10 glaciers (in Europe, North America and the Greenland icecap), found ten's of thousands of bacteria in each millilitre (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/17/microbes-melting-glaciers-bacteria-ecosystems). The scientists consequently estimate that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of bacteria are being released by the melting glaciers. This means that unique microbial ecosystems are also vanishing before our eyes. The released bacteria could fertilise downstream ecosystems. These organisms should be checked, however, for potential pathogens. We may also be 'missing tricks', as some unique bacterial species might be used to develop new antibiotics. Other species may prove to have roles in breaking down problematic chemicals. Grab 'em while we can!