A study warns that climate change alters the quality of the waters of the Pyrenees

A study, led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) with the collaboration of the Universitat de Girona (UdG), has warned that the climate emergency is altering the quality of the high mountain waters of the Pyrenees.

The work, which has also had the support of the Biodiversity Foundation, of the Ministry for the Energy Transition, has documented the main river systems affected and that climate change “is the triggering engine of the phenomenon”, because a relationship is established between prolonged droughts and increase in temperature, as reported by the UAB on Wednesday in a statement.

The phenomenon translates into “the increase in natural acid drainage processes”, something that is recognized by the turquoise color of the waters and the formation of whitish precipitates rich in aluminum that cover their beds.

The researchers have pointed out that this is a preliminary study and have highlighted the importance of carrying out another “on a larger scale” to limit in detail the causes and thus begin to design preventive and corrective strategies, since as they have emphasized, through water, toxic metals and metalloids such as arsenic, aluminum and nickel are released through this medium.

The observation, under the title ‘Acidification of high mountain water bodies and its relationship with climate change, toxicity and implications for Biodiversity’, has been carried out in various areas of the Natural Parks of Posets-Maladeta (Huesca), Alt Pirineu (Lleida) and the headwaters of the Ter and Frese rivers (Girona).

Source: Europe Press