Just what we needed, more climate change disaster news

This time, we are taken to Alaska, where scientists are alarmed over once pristine backcountry rivers turning from a brilliant glacier blue to a rusty bright orange.

According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, thawing permafrost, caused by global warming, is releasing minerals like iron and toxic metals into rivers in Alaska.

The scientists observed 75 streams in Alaska’s Brooks Range that turned orange, reflecting increased loading of iron and toxic metals being released into the ecosystem.

The range, which consists of mostly uninhabited mountains in the north of Alaska’s arctic region, has seen temperature increases over the past decade, leading to the orange hue.

It’s a startling picture of what climate change is doing to some of the most remote places in the world.

“There are certain sites that look almost like a milky orange juice,” said National Park Service ecologist and study lead author Jon O’Donnell in a statement.

“We’re used to seeing this in parts of California, parts of Appalachia where we have mining history,” University of California Davis professor of environmental toxicology and study coauthor Brett Poulin told CNN. “But it’s very startling to see it when you’re on some of the most remote wilderness and you’re far from a mine source.”

The thawing permafrost and mineral runoff, including lead, iron, zinc, copper, nickel, cadmium, and mercury, make the streams more cloudy, blocking light.

They also make the water more acidic, impacting plant and aquatic life with fish like salmon storing the toxic minerals in their flesh.

That can pose risks to human health as well, with people who do the fishing, consume the fish, or relay on the water as a drinking source, likely to be negatively impacted.

Scientists will continue to try and trace the source, but in the meantime, look to continue to address the growing climate concerns.

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