01371nas a2200157   4500008004100000020002200041245012600063210006900189250000600258260001300264520081000277100001701087700001801104700002401122856006701146       2017                        eng d  a978-3-319-57056-300aThe Climate of Snow and Ice as Boundary Condition for Microbial Life in Psychrophiles: From Biodiversity to Biotechnology0 aClimate of Snow and Ice as Boundary Condition for Microbial Life  a2  bSpringer3 a<p>The microclimate and structure of snow and ice are a boundary condition as well as a matrix for a large spectrum of microbial life under alpine and polar conditions. Biological activity critically depends on the supply of energy, water and nutrients, with solar radiation as the prime source of energy, varying with latitude and altitude. The energy balance at the snow or ice surface provides the boundary condition for the fluxes of energy and water to the snow and ice, with important latitudinal differences from the temperate to the polar regions. The extreme situations of sunlit rocks surrounded by snow and the environment of Antarctic cryoconite holes, where ice, water, solar radiation and nutrients interact in particular ways, closes this review on ice and its effect on microbial life.</p>1 aMargesin, R.1 aKuhn, Michael1 aFountain, Andrew, G  uhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-319-57057-0