The glacial retreat worldwide has triggered substantial research on glaciers as „water towers“ and their potential contribution to sea level rise. Building evidence suggests that glaciers, beside their prominent role in the hydrological cycle, are place for active microbial and biogeochemical processes. For instance, microbial communities in cryoconites and at the interface between glacial ice and bedrock are more diverse and active as hitherto thought. Furthermore, organic matter and nutrients transformed and trapped in the glacial ice may affect downstream ecosystems, including coastal waters.
In this session, we invite presentations that help unravel the role of microbial ecology and biogeochemistry in mountain and polar glaciers, and in their proglacial ecosystems. We would particularly welcome contributions that explicitly focus on the implications of glacial retreat for the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of glacial ecosystems.