Highlights•Glaciers act as cold condensers where the deposition of contaminants is
favored.•Cryoconite holes are efficient traps for contaminants and are biologically active …

Tropical glaciers are extremely sensitive to changes of climate variables. Their response to
climate change is complex and depends on multiple mechanisms affecting their mass and …

Glaciers are considered secondary sources of pollutants, including radioisotopes such as
Cesium or Plutonium, with heightened concentrations compared to other ecosystems. The …

Glaciers are now acknowledged as an important biome globally, but biological processes in
the interior of the glacier (englacial) are thought to be slow and to play only a minor role in …

Glaciers host a variety of cold‐adapted taxa, many of which have not yet been described.
Interactions among glacier organisms are even less clear. Understanding ecological …

Glacier mice are peculiar rolling or stationary moss balls found on the surface of some
glaciers. They may harbour an ecological habitat for cold-adapted invertebrates and …

Glacier ice, cryoconite, and glacier-fed streams are interconnected features that have
important implications for the dynamics and distribution of abiotic and biotic materials …

Insights into biodiversity and trophic webs are important for understanding ecosystem
functions. Although the surfaces of glaciers are one of the most productive and biologically …

Glaciers are inhabited by various cryophilic organisms ranging from single celled to
multicellular, like Tardigrada (water bears). Owing to their scattered distribution, glaciers …

Glaciers are recognized as repositories for atmospheric pollutants, however, due to climate
change and enhanced melting rates, they are rapidly transitioning from being repositories to …