-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email In Alaska, dozens of the state's rivers are turning orange and climate change seems to be to blame. According to a recent study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, iron and other toxic metals are leaching into the water supply for 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range. The scientists used remote sensing to determine that these substances began entering the river systems within the last 10 years, corresponding with a period when climate change caused increased warming and snowfall.
The researchers theorize that the permafrost has started to thaw due to these developments, causing orange streams that have lower pH and higher concentrations of iron, sulfate and trace metals. In addition to turning the rivers an unnatural color, the permafrost thaw is creating health risks for nearby Alaskans. "Stream discoloration was associated with dramatic declines in macroinvertebrate diversity and fish abundance," the authors write.
"These findings have considerable implications for drinking water supplies and subsistence fisheries in rural Alaska." Related One in three US rivers have changed color since 1984. Here's what this means In a press statement , the study's author described how the research team made the stomach-churning discovery that a pattern existed for Alaska's rivers.
“The more we flew around, we started noticing more and more orange rivers and streams,” said Jon O’Donnell, an ecologist for the NPS’ Arc.
