A new model could help predict rusting rivers, researchers say

Rusting on a tributary of the Eli River, taken on Patrick Sullivan’s research trip in June. Sullivan said it shows iron throughout the aufeis and in the shrubs, which suggests that metals were being released throughout the winter. The iron in the shrubs was probably deposited when the aufeis was near its maximum extent. (Patrick Sullivan)
Rivers across Alaska’s Arctic are turning orange and acidic as permafrost thaws, threatening subsistence resources that thousands of people rely on