Peter Fretwell's study reveals high risk of no chick survival in four of five known colonies due to premature sea ice loss before feathers are waterproofed.

Snow algae are a fascinating and unique aspect of the microbial world. These cold-tolerant microbes grow on snowpacks and are commonly observed in polar and alpine areas worldwide.

The loss of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet is becoming more devastating. Figures and monitoring show us that it is shrinking at an alarming rate. Now, a report noted that they are losing three times as much ice a year as they were 30 years ago.

In the remainder of the century and if urgent measures are not taken to stop global warming, a minimum of 60% of the glaciers of the entire globe could disappear before 2100.

The results of this new study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, completely change the conception of melting in this part of the world.

It is not new that glaciers around the world are losing mass, but until now little was known about what is happening to ice above 5,000 meters.