Taylor Roades
Alaska's Rust Rivers
On view March 7, 2025 – October 19, 2025
First Floor, Family Galleries South Hallway
In the remote western Brooks Range of Alaska, permafrost is thawing at an unprecedented rate and exposing the pyrite-rich bedrock to water and oxygen. As a result, rivers and tributaries now flow bright orange with oxidized iron and sulfuric acid. Canadian photographer Taylor Roades (b.1990) captures this transformation through aerial and on-the-ground documentation.
The work that scientists do in these watersheds is crucial to our understanding of climate change and our ability to mitigate its effects on some of the world's most at-risk places.
- Taylor Roades