Dust and ash might seem small and harmless, but they can have a big impact on glaciers. When dust and ash from places like deserts or volcanoes land on glaciers, they make the surface of the ice darker. This darker color means the glacier can’t reflect sunlight as well as it used to. Instead of bouncing the sunlight away, the dark surface absorbs more heat.

Think about wearing a black T-shirt on a sunny day. The black color absorbs more heat, making you feel warmer. The same thing happens to glaciers covered in dust and ash. The absorbed heat causes the ice to melt faster than it would if it were clean and white.

Besides making glaciers melt faster, dust and ash can also make the surface rougher. This rough surface can catch more sunlight, increasing the glacier's temperature and speeding up the melting process even more. When glaciers melt quickly, they add more water to the oceans, contributing to rising sea levels.

In addition to melting, when glaciers are covered in dust and ash, it can also affect the purity of the water that comes from the melted ice. This can impact the plants, animals, and people who rely on clean glacier water for drinking and irrigation. So, keeping glaciers clean from dust and ash is important for slowing down their melting and maintaining healthy ecosystems.