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Rivers in Alaska are turning orange. The reason surprises even scientists

2024-05-30 18:12:24Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Rivers in Alaska are turning orange. The reason surprises even scientists
Rivers in Alaska are turning orange

Dozens of rivers and streams in Alaska have turned bright orange in the past 5-10 years.

Rivers have changed color due to melting permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of the Earth's surface that covers large areas of the Arctic, according to a new study.

The discovery surprised researchers from the National Park Service, the University of California at Davis and the US Geological Survey, who conducted tests at 75 sites in Alaska's Brooks Range waterways.

This melting has released high levels of toxic metals into waterways, explain researchers from the National Park Service, the University of California, Davis, and the US Geological Survey.

Experts warn that river pollution, which is visible from space, could turn into an "ecological nightmare" and is likely to get worse in the coming years.

Rivers in Alaska are turning orange. The reason surprises even scientists

As CNN reports, in the study, published May 20 in the journal Earth & Environment Communication, researchers identified at least 75 orange rivers and streams in an area the size of Texas on Alaska's Brooks Coast.

Most of the orange (once blue) waterways were first identified by helicopter surveys of the area.

"As we patrolled, we started seeing more and more orange rivers and streams," said lead author of the particularly disturbing study, John O'Donnell:

"There are some places that almost look like milky orange juice," he added.

After chemically analyzing the rivers, scientists discovered high levels of zinc, nickel, copper as well as iron, which is mainly responsible for the orange color of the waterways.

Rivers in Alaska are turning orange. The reason surprises even scientists

The scientists also concluded that the polluted waterways were acidic, but to a strange degree.

Some of the smaller streams had a pH as low as 2.3, which is about as low as lemon juice or vinegar, according to the US Geological Survey.

CNN, citing the study's findings, reports that the high concentration of metals and the acidity of the water may also lead to the melting of permafrost.

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