Chlamydomonas nivalis

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Chlamydomonas nivalis, commonly known as snow algae, also referred to as Chloromonas typhlos, is a unicellular red-coloured photosynthetic green alga. It is found in the snowfields of the alps and polar regions all over the world and on all seven continents. There are four known genera causing red snow: Sanguina, Chlainomonas, Chlamydomonas, and Chloromonas. Chlamydomonas nivalis is one of the primary algae responsible for causing the phenomenon of watermelon snow, where patches of snow appear red or pink. The first account of microbial communities that form red snow was made by Aristotle. Researchers have been active in studying this organism for over 100 years.

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