Arctic Rust A Hostile Climate

Something strange is happening in Arctic rivers — they’re turning the color of rust. And their waters are becoming acidic through a combination of mainly iron and sulfuric acid leaching into the waters.
Ultimately, the cause for these rusting rivers is climate change. Researchers are still pinning down the specifics, but there is already concern that this is happening across the Arctic, causing widespread ecosystem damage.
Our very own Alex Lee was part of a team who has researched this phenomenon on the ground in a remote part of the Brooks Range in Alaska. Through an essay, Alex will take us to the Arctic where we’ll explore the nature of change. We’ll also hear from one of the top researchers looking into the rusting rivers.
Guest: Paddy Sullivan, ecologist and director of the Environment and Natural Resource Institute at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
Read Alex’s essay on Protect Our Winters' blog and listen to M. Harlan Engelmann music on Bandcamp.