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The streaky orange color of a large number of rivers in Alaska is giving scientists cause for concern.
Anchorage – Dozens of rivers in northern Alaska have turned orange. This has a negative impact on flora and fauna, a group of researchers has found. In the specialist magazine “Communications Earth & Environment” They describe how the melting of local permafrost causes iron to be dissolved from the soil and then enters the water. This is where the color comes from. The melting of permafrost is in turn a consequence of climate change.
Climate change turns rivers orange
The increased iron content in the water lowers the pH value towards acidic and thus has a negative effect on life in and around the river. Small fish species in particular react very sensitively to shifts in the pH value. The researchers led by Jonathan O’Connell discovered at one point that a fish species called Salvelinus malma had completely disappeared.
The consequences for humans are both indirect and direct. Fish caught for consumption may also have increased iron levels. And people who get their drinking water from the rivers there are directly affected by the contamination.
Consequences for humans and animals
Prof. Dr. Hans-Wolfgang Hubberten from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Potsdam describes further possible effects of climate change and the associated decline in permafrost on humans. In Siberia, for example, “some railway lines are no longer passable because the rails are sinking,” he is quoted as saying by the Earth and Environment knowledge platform of the Hermann von Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
What are permafrost soils?
Permafrost soils are those that have been below zero for at least two years. Many of these soils have actually been permanently frozen for thousands of years. Permafrost soils cover around a quarter of the land area in the northern hemisphere.
Permafrost soils store organic carbon in the form of dead plant remains, among other things. When the soils thaw due to climate change, the greenhouse gases CO₂ and methane are released, further fueling global warming.
Runways would also sink and oil pipelines could potentially become unstable, says Hubberten. Leaks could also occur and hundreds of thousands of liters of oil could leak out. “So there are a number of dangers that have not been considered so far.” Climate change is also affecting the Alpine region through the melting of permafrost.
Most recently, the European Environment Agency warned of catastrophic consequences of climate change. However, it was not previously known how global warming would affect groundwater. Now A study predicts fatal consequences for millions of people.
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