A glacier in Italy is turning pink because of algae -- a development that will make the ice melt faster, a scientist studying the phenomenon says.

Pink snow has appeared at the Presena glacier in northern Italy, researcher Biagio Di Mauro, of the Institute of Polar Sciences at Italy's National Research Council, told CNN Monday.

Algal blooms are bad news for the health of the glacier as darker snow absorbs more energy, meaning it melts faster.