Natural and societal consequences of climate-forced changes of Jostedalsbreen Ice Cap
Glacier mice accumulate radioactive material and heavy metals as they roll on glacier surfaces
by Jacob Yde, August 8, 2024
The peculiar glacier mice (moss ball) colony on Austerdalsbreen is very endangered and will likely disappear within the coming years. This will lead to the disappearance of a unique ecosystem, but it may also release harmful elements and substances to downstream ecosystems. A new study by Kołtonik and colleagues has examined the presence of radionuclides and heavy metals in glacier mice.
Glacier mice are strange, spheric moss balls with the ability to roll around on glacier surfaces. They found in colonies on only a few glaciers around the world. Very little is known about their evolution and the ecosystem structure that exists within them. The moss balls often have a sediment-rich core, and they harbor a community of cold-adapted microorganisms and invertebrates. A colony of glacier mice exists near the front of Austerdalsbreen, but it is now endangered due to the extensive thinning of Austerdalsbreen, which has lead to the development of a lake on the glacier front. In 2024, the glacier mice colony at Austerdalsbreen has be split on a few ice islands on the lake and progressive melting of the ice surface will cause the glacier mice to roll into the lake and drown.
Glacier mice on the surface of Austerdalsbreen (photo: J. Yde).
Kołtonik and colleagues have published a study in the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment, which provides new knowledge of the concentrations of radioactive (137Cs, 210Pb, 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu) and heavy metal (Pb, As, Hg, Cd) elements in glacier mice. The results show that glacier mice have significantly higher concentrations of heavy metals compared to mosses in the landscape outside the glacier. Glacier mice are also able to accumulate radioactive elements as they roll around on the glacier surface. The main sources of radioactive pollution are from nuclear fallout from the Chernobyl accident on 26th April 1986 and general global fallout from nuclear weapon tests. As the glacier mice roll into the lake, they release heavy metals and radioactive elements, which may be obtained by organisms living in downstream habitats.