New Zealand glaciers turn brown and 'could melt faster because of Australia's bushfires'

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/02/australia/new-zealand-glaciers-australia-bushfire-intl-scli/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2Vt9L8XUSFqAs7XRWa4CWtzEAuEQ_1uGYgoKJ88EB-M_4LASv5ADqn-FI

By Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN
Updated 9:33 AM ET, Thu January 2, 2020

Smoke and ash drifting from the Australian bushfires have caused New Zealand's glaciers to turn caramel brown, with one expert fearing this could increase the risk of them melting faster this year.

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That's because of the so-called Albedo effect, Guy explains.
"This is when the whiteness of an object reflects radiation away impacting its temperature," he continues.

"Thus, areas on the planet that are covered in ice and snow do not absorb the radiation as fast because it reflects it, causing lower temperatures than areas with a lower whiteness value which are quick to absorb the radiation and increase and hold on to the temperatures."
Guy added that this year, glacier melt may quicken "since the color will be a little darker than true white."

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While it's too early to say exactly how the particles will affect the glaciers in New Zealand, scientists have found that forest fires in the Amazon have caused glaciers in the Andes mountains to melt faster, with pollutants such as black carbon and dust lodged in the ice, reducing the glacier's ability to reflect sunlight.