Conférence : Les algues des neiges

Every year in late spring, it's not unusual to see the melting snow, known as névés, turn pink and red, sometimes just a few square centimetres, sometimes as far as the eye can see.
This phenomenon has been known about for thousands of years and has intrigued scientists and hikers alike. It is sometimes confused with the deposition of sand from the Sahara.
However, red snow is caused by the proliferation of microscopic algae, the name of which has only been known for the last five years!
And these algae do not live alone.
A marvellous and little-known microbial world lives in the snow! The conference will summarise more than two thousand years of research and present the most recent data obtained by expert researchers in biology, ecology and glaciology from the AlpAlga project.
The future of this wonderful ecosystem in the context of global warming will also be discussed.
A drink will be offered at the end of the conference.