Rusting Rivers b-roll - Kugororuk River

This is B-roll video of the Kugororuk River in Noatak National Park and Preserve, Alaska from July 17, 2023.

This video shows the Kugororuk River in Noatak National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Outflow of orange water from a tributary enters from an unnamed watershed creating turbulent water at the confluence with the mainstem of the Kugororuk River. The river shows orange water on left side and clear water on right demonstrating the change in color of the water.

Orange streams are increasingly common in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska. Recent observations from Arctic Alaska indicate that waters draining permafrost landscapes may be susceptible to iron and carbon mobilization following thaw. The orange stream color reflects oxidized iron, but also often indicates elevated heavy metal concentrations.

One visual indication of the altered iron-cycling processes is the abrupt change in the color of stream and river reaches, reflecting a dramatic shift in water quality. The conversion of streams from clear to orange water appears to reflect a considerable deterioration of habitat for benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Although the underlying processes causing orange streams are unknown, this region is experiencing widespread thaw and subsequent shifts in hydrologic flow paths.

In 2019, a team of U.S. Geological Survey and Nation Park Service researchers began working on this issue, with the overall goal of defining and understanding changes to Arctic rivers in Alaska to meet conservation goals of the Department of the Interior.

The research team has identified more than 70 locations of rusting rivers throughout the Brooks Range and continue to investigate this phenomenon.