Environmental Disaster in Alaska: Melting Permafrost Turns Rivers into Toxic Orange

The Brooks Range in Alaska is witnessing a concerning phenomenon, as some clear rivers have turned into murky streams of an unusual orange color, indicating serious environmental changes linked to the melting of permanent ice layers.

Scientists explain this phenomenon by stating that rising temperatures expose rock layers rich in sulfide, causing chemical reactions that generate sulfuric acid and release heavy metals such as iron, cadmium, and aluminum into the water. This process resembles what occurs in mine discharges, but notably, it is happening without any direct human activity.

The study published in the PNAS journal warned that these transformations are not limited to the "Salmon" River alone, but extend to dozens of polar watersheds. Professor Tim Lyons confirms that what is happening "is exactly like mine pollution, but the sole cause is the melting of permafrost due to climate change."

Analyses confirm that these orange waters directly threaten ecosystems; they reduce the light reaching the riverbeds and suffocate insect larvae, which are a primary food source for salmon. Additionally, the accumulation of metals in fish bodies may affect predators such as bears and birds, as well as threaten a primary food source for indigenous communities in the region.

Although the current concentrations of metals in fish are not yet dangerous to human health, scientists warn of serious future implications, the most notable being the disruption of the salmon breeding cycle and the deterioration of the ecological balance in Alaska's rivers.