The Associated Press
FILE - In this Thursday, July 12, 2018 file photo, an algae bloom appears on the Caloosahatchee River at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam in Alva, Fla. A study released on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, shows Americaâs rivers are changing color, mostly because of what people are doing. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
America’s rivers are changing color and people are behind many of the shifts, a new study said. One-third of the tens of thousands of mile-long river segments in the United States have noticeably shifted color in satellite images since 1984. That includes 11,629 miles that became greener, or went toward the violet end of the color spectrum, according to a study in this week’s journal Geographical Research Letters. Some river segments became more red. Only about 5% of U.S. river mileage is considered blue a color often equated with pristine waters by the general public. About two-thirds of American rivers are yellow, which signals they have lots of so
One-third of America’s rivers have changed color since 1984
By Seth Borenstein - AP Science Writer
America’s rivers are changing color and people are behind many of the shifts, a new study said.
One-third of the tens of thousands of mile-long (two kilometer-long) river segments in the United States have noticeably shifted color in satellite images since 1984. That includes 11,629 miles (18,715 kilometers) that became greener, or went toward the violet end of the color spectrum, according to a study in this week’s journal Geographical Research Letters. Some river segments became more red.
Only about 5% of U.S. river mileage is considered blue a color often equated with pristine waters by the general public. About two-thirds of American rivers are yellow, which signals they have lots of soil in them.
By SETH BORENSTEINJanuary 7, 2021 GMT
FILE - In this Thursday, July 12, 2018 file photo, an algae bloom appears on the Caloosahatchee River at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam in Alva, Fla. A study released on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, shows America’s rivers are changing color, mostly because of what people are doing. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
FILE - In this Thursday, July 12, 2018 file photo, an algae bloom appears on the Caloosahatchee River at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam in Alva, Fla. A study released on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, shows America’s rivers are changing color, mostly because of what people are doing. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)