A stream flows through the toe of Kaskawulsh Glacier in Kluane National Park, Yukon. In 2016, this channel allowed the glacier’s meltwater to drain in a different direction than normal, resulting in the Slims River water being rerouted to a different river system. (Image by Dan Shugar)
The melting of a massive glacier is changing the course of a Yukon river, new study finds. Meltwater from the retreating Kaskawulsh Glacier, which used to flow through the Slims River in Kluane National Park, is now flowing through a different river. This is the first modern case of “river piracy,” a phenomenon where the stream of one river redirects the flow of the other. The authors say the river piracy is a direct result of climate change. Besides draining the Slims River, river piracy in the Yukon will likely influence the local populations of Dall sheep. The drying Slims River is already affecting the water levels in Kluane Lake.
Authors:
Daniel H. Shugar, John J. Clague, James L. Best, Christian Schoof, Michael J. Willis, Luke Copland & Gerard H. Roe
Corresponding author:
Dan Shugar, waterSHED lab, University of Washington Tacoma, Email: dshugar@uw.edu
Original paper published in Nature Geoscience on April 17, 2017.
