The reason thousands of lakes in Greenland used to turn brown

Western Greenland has tens of thousands of clear blue lakes that provide drinking water and help absorb carbon from the atmosphere. However, after two months of autumn in 2022 with a record of heat and rainfall, about 7,500 lakes among brown, starting to emit instead of carbon storage, water quality also decreased, SciTechDaily On 2/2 reported.

New research, published in the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesled by Jasmine Saros, deputy director of the Climate Change Institute of Maine University. The study revealed that, in July 2023, less than a year after the unusual weather event, the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of brown -changing lakes have changed significantly.

Such changes often takes centuries, according to Saros. “The size of the incident and the speed of changes are unprecedented,” Saros said.

Greenland often has snow in the fall, but the abnormal temperature has caused rain to fall instead of snow. The warmth also dissolves the permanent frozen soil, releases carbon, iron, magnesium and some other elements into the environment. When the record rainfall swept through the area, these newly revealed substances were swept up from the soil into the lake, causing the lakes to turn brown.

The penetration of nutrients and organic carbon dissolved from the permanent frozen soil can promote bacteria to grow, creating an unpleasant taste in water besides changing color, Saros said. Increasing contact with metal from permanent freezing soil can also cause health problems. Local people can find an appropriate water treatment through the determination of type and amount of organic and inorganic substance to enter the lake after extreme weather events.

The team concluded that the increase in temperature and rainfall in 2022 caused by the atmosphere. The atmosphere is a long narrow steam column, bringing rain or large snow when landing. They affect many parts of the world, and the current climate models are expected that by the end of the century, they will be present more frequently over 50% – 290% in Greenland, western America, East Asia, West, Europe, Antarctica.

Saros said that further research and monitoring will help determine how the lakes can recover and provide more information about the lake dynamics in the area. Subsequent studies can also help scientists check brown lakes across the northern hemisphere, how they recover as well as potential measures and interventions.