Read previewAt least 75 of Alaska's brooks and streams have been turning a dirty orange likely due to thawing permafrost, with some rivers so impacted that the discoloration can be seen via satellite, a new study says.
Rivers and lakes typically have a pH value of 6.5 to 8, and acid rain has a pH value of 4.2 to 4.4.
Jon O'Donnell/National Park Service"These findings have considerable implications for drinking water supplies and subsistence fisheries in rural Alaska," researchers wrote.
The 75 orange streams observed were scattered across northern Alaska over a span of about 600 miles, the study said.
AdvertisementAn orange tributary joins the Kuguroruk River in Alaska.
Persons:
—, Jenny McGrath, Jon O'Donnell, Joshua Koch, Biden
Organizations:
Service, Business, Geological Survey Scientists
Locations:
Rivers, Kobuk, Alaska