Alaska –
Sungai-river at Alaska changed color to bright orange, and scientists are trying to find out the cause, aka it is still mysterious.
In recent years, scientists have observed rivers turning bright orange in the Arctic region of Alaska. The recent change in color of the Salmon River, which has been designated a national wild and scenic river in Kobuk Valley National Park, is of particular concern.
Data shows that the river water was still pure before 2019, but that summer, the clear Salmon water suddenly turned greenish orange. This also occurs in rivers throughout the Brooks Range in Alaska and is likely to occur in other areas of the Arctic.
The Scientific American magazine report said scientists who had studied it believed that climate change was the cause. Research shows the Arctic region is warming faster than other regions in the world.
The rising temperatures are thought to cause the melting of permafrost, land that usually remains frozen forever, in the national park and its surroundings. However, how melting ice sheets cause rivers to change color is still unknown.
Some researchers think that acids from minerals leach iron from bedrock, and when those sediments come into contact with flowing water and air, they oxidize and turn orange.
Another theory is that thawing permafrost soil beneath wetlands allows bacteria to make iron soluble in water. When groundwater carries it into the oxygen stream, it oxidizes again, turning the stream orange.
Finding the cause of this phenomenon is important for understanding the possible ecological impacts, including the possible risks to wildlife in the river and communities that depend on the river for fish and drinking water.
Many Wulik tributaries have turned orange. This could have a significant impact on Kivalina, a village of 444 residents that needs the river for water and fish.
“It’s interesting from a scientific point of view, but from an emotional point of view, it’s sad,” Roman Dial, a biology and mathematics professor at Alaska Pacific University was quoted as saying detikINET from Newsweek.
Watch the video “Seconds of a M 7.4 Earthquake Rocks Alaska, Triggers Tsunami Early Warning”
(fyk/fyk)
2023-12-24 15:05:42
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