Um, how did the minerals get frozen under all the ice in the first place?
Alaskan rivers turning orange due to climate change, study finds
Dozens of rivers and streams in Alaska are turning rusty orange, a likely consequence of thawing permafrost, a new study finds.
Wait, likely? It is or isn’t. Shouldn’t a scientific study determine the causation? Wasn’t that the point? Not to say “we feel” and “sure, why not”? This isn’t like a hypothesis of the mechanics of a black hole. They can actually go there and do Science.
The Arctic is the fastest-warming region in the globe, and as the frozen ground below the surface melts, minerals once locked away in that soil are now seeping into waterways.
“It’s an unforeseen impact of climate change that we’re seeing in some of the most pristine rivers in our country,” said Brett Poulin, study author and assistant professor of environmental toxicology at University of California Davis.
That’s weird, because they tell us everywhere is the fast place. Regardless of whether this is happening, it doesn’t prove anthropogenic causation
The rusting is a seasonal phenomenon, occurring in the summer typically during July and August, when the soil is thawed the deepest. The researchers at the National Park Service, US Geological Survey and University of California Davis now want to better understand the long-term implications of the changing water chemistry in places with continuous permafrost, which includes Arctic regions such as Alaska, Canada, Russia and parts of Scandinavia.
Did this happen during previous Holocene warm periods? That’s rather a necessary comparison to practice science.
Read: ZOMG: Alaskan Rivers Turning Orange Due To Global Boiling! »