Researchers from Zurich have discovered what is probably the darkest river in the world. The Ruki River in the Democratic Republic of Congo is darker than the famous Rio Negro in the Amazon. Large amounts of dissolved organic substances are responsible for the color.
According to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, the water of the Ruki River contains four times more organic carbon compounds than the Congo River and one and a half times more than the Rio Negro in the Amazon region. The carbon-containing substances mainly enter the river with rainwater. The rain then falls on the dead jungle vegetation and dissolves organic compounds from the dead plant material, the study found.
“Basically jungle tea”
Moreover, the river floods the forest in the rainy season. In this case, the water often remains on the forest floor up to your waist for weeks and drains only very slowly. The water is enriched with organic substances. “Ruki is basically jungle tea,” says ETH researcher Travis Drake. ETH Zurich led the international research team that investigated why the river is so black. This is the first study of the jungle stream.
In short, the result is that the water of the Ruki is so dark because it carries hardly any sediment due to the low gradient, but it does carry large quantities of dissolved organic substances. The research team spent a year measuring daily discharge, biweekly concentrations, isotope ratios and molecular composition of carbon and organic matter.
The Ruki has a length of 105 kilometers and is a left tributary of Congo.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
