Humans are one of the main drivers of increased decomposition rates of organic matter like leaves in waterways around the world, according to a new study from the University of Georgia, Oakland University, and Kent State University.
That could pose a threat to biodiversity in waterways around the world and increase the amount of carbon in Earth’s atmosphere, exacerbating climate change.
Publishing on May 30 in Science, the study is the first to illustrate how human impacts to waterways may contribute to the global climate crisis.
The researchers collected field data from 550 rivers across the globe, collaborating with more than 150 researchers in 40 countries.
The authors compiled the data into a free online mapping tool that shows how fast different kinds of leaves decompose in local waterways.
Higher temperatures and increased nutrient concentrations were two of the environmental factors driving the increase in decomposition rates, the study found.
Nutrient concentrations are increased by things like agricultural runoff, wastewater pollution and other human-driven activities.
Reducing the human impact on decomposition will enable waterways retain more carbon, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. And that could help fight climate change.