EventA recent study by UC Davis scientists, published in AGU Advances, confirms that water draining from thawing permafrost in Alaska’s Brooks Range is highly acidic and contains metal concentrations up to 70 × higher than normal. The phenomenon, first noted in 2018 and traced to 2019‑2020, coincided with the state’s hottest summer and a snowy winter that insulated the soil. The study examined six watersheds and found that the metals can travel more than 90 km downstream, becoming more concentrated. Previous research has documented over 200 rivers worldwide affected by the same process, yet no d...
Scientists from UC Davis report that permafrost thaw in Alaska’s Brooks Range releases iron, sulfuric acid and other metals, causing rivers to turn bright orange and become more acidic than mine leachate. The phenomenon began around 2019‑2020 and can transport toxic metals up to 96 km downstream.
Scientists find that thawing permafrost in Alaska’s Brooks Range is releasing metals into rivers, with some sites showing concentrations 70 times higher than normal, raising concerns about impacts on ecosystems and Native communities.
Thawing permafrost in Arctic Alaska is turning rivers orange and elevating metal levels up to 64 miles downstream, raising concerns for fish and water quality.
Researchers found that thawing tundra in northern Alaska is creating acidic, metal‑rich waters—‘rusting’ rivers up to 70 times more corrosive than mine drainage—raising concerns for Salmon populations.
