Tinted detail of a photo: Huge block of blue and white ice collapsing from a glacier front, shattering into fragments and throwing up a large white splash where it hits the dark water.
CR
Cryospheric Sciences

weathering crust

An Interview on the importance of simplification – modeling the weathering crust and microbial activity on ice sheets

and October 16, 2026
A graphic of weathering crust on an ice sheet (a cross section view) on the left, and on the right is a brief schematic of how the microbes figure into the ice sheet as represented by simple drawings of pore space, melt, and physics equations

The weathering crust of ice sheets or glaciers is a layer of porous ice, bordering on impermeable ice below and influencing the meltwater storage and production. This physically complex environment harbors a wide range of microorganisms that themselves affect the weathering crust and contribute to darkening of ice surfaces. The two factors – microbial community …[Read More]