The Slims River in the Canadian Yukon once flowed out to the Bering Sea, but now it flows into the Kaskawulsh River instead due to the increased melting of one of the Yukon's glaciers. More often than not, this phenomenon takes centuries to discover, but one group of scientists watched it all happen over the course of one spring.
"Nobody's ever seen a river piracy occur in modern times, at least to my knowledge," lead author Dan Shugar told the BBC.When he and his team of researchers arrived in the Yukon, it was barely flowing. They discovered that a small channel had eroded in a large glacier that provided water to a number of small lakes across the region.
The glacial lakes used to feed two river systems: the Slims River and the Kaskawulsh River, but when water from one lake poured through the channel into another, it caused the Slims River to stop receiving any water at all. The change in the river's flow has affected the whole landscape. Sheep are now grazing on the exposed river bank, while other rivers in the area are reaching alarmingly high levels. Fish population, wildlife and lake chemistry will continue to be affected, the study noted.
Because of climate change, a natural event which should have taken centuries to complete was sped up at an alarming rate, causing the whole ecosystem that relied on the Slims River to be put into jeopardy. With this area of the Yukon receiving barely any water, it is possible that areas of the boreal forest may go up in flames, and Canada will see a worse forest fire than the one last summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment