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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

California fires see 200,000 evacuated while 3 million may lose power
For the third year in a row, an enormous wildfire is destroying homes and properties in California, with smaller fires raging elsewhere in the state.
Sonoma Valley, California, USA
New Scientist

Polar bears shift from seals to bird eggs as Arctic ice melts
The habitat overlap of polar bears and their main prey, ringed seals, is disappearing and the bears are instead getting closer to nesting birds.
Svalbard, Norway
New Scientist

Hundreds Killed as Kerala, India, Hit by Worst Floods Since 1920s
Torrential rains left at least 324 people dead, and hundreds of thousands more have been made homeless.
Kerala, India
New York Times

Orcas of the Pacific Northwest Are Starving and Disappearing
The population of endangered killer whales has hit a 30-year-low, numbering only 75 this year.
Seattle, Washington, United States
New York Times

White Mountains, North Country hit hard by storm that caused flooding, closed roads
A storm caused flooding and road closures in New Hampshire's White Mountains and North Country, with ongoing concerns about rising river levels and dam operations.
Concord, New Hampshire, United States
New Hampshire Public Radio

Phoenix summer heat keeps breaking records
Phoenix's blistering July heat wave has broken multiple records. There's little relief in sight, according to the National Weather Service. Every single day so far in the month of July, the high temperature — as recorded by the National Weather Service at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport — has been 110 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Phoenix New Times

Deadly Tensions Rise as India’s Water Supply Runs Dangerously Low
Some 600 million Indians, about half the population, face high to extreme water scarcity conditions, with about 200,000 dying every year from inadequate access to safe water, says a government report.
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
New York Times

Burning Coal for Survival in the World’s Coldest Capital
Many residents of Ulan Bator, Mongolia, use coal-burning stoves during the winter months when staying warm is a matter of survival. But the pollution is hazardous to their health.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Snow Falls in Rome, and the Eternal City Takes a Holiday
With schools and parks in the city closed for the day, and hundreds of shops shuttered, many Romans took the unexpected blanket of white in cheerful stride.
Rome, Latium, Italy
The New York Times

Plague Is Found in New Mexico. Again.
Two people were found to have plague this week. What does the disease look like in the modern world, and why does it keep happening in New Mexico?
Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
The New York Times

Polar Bears’ Path to Decline Runs Through Alaskan Village
The bears that come to the northern village of Kaktovik are climate refugees, on land because the sea ice they rely on for hunting seals is receding.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Snowy Owl Is Spotted in Central Park, for First Time in 130 Years
The hordes came running and the snow-white raptor became the latest celebrity bird of Manhattan. Some enthusiasts took Manhattan Bird Alert to task for revealing the bird’s exact whereabouts to 38,000 followers. By Thursday morning, the Central Park snowy was nowhere to be found.
Manhattan, New York, United States

Algae Bloom Fouls N.J.’s Largest Lake, Indicating Broader Crisis
Lake Hopatcong, normally buzzing with swimmers and water skiers, is filled with cyanobacteria in quantities never before recorded.
Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, United States

Hundreds of Seals Are Dying on the New England Coast
Deaths of gray and harbor seals, in much greater numbers than usual, have been attributed to viruses related to distemper and the flu.
Isles of Shoals, United States

Sweden’s Tallest Peak Shrinks in Record Heat
Soaring temperatures are melting snow and ice from Kebnekaise’s southern peak, making the northern part of the mountain Sweden’s highest point.
Kebnekaise, Kiruna, Sweden

Grasshopper invasion of Las Vegas may last weeks
An unusually wet year is responsible for the biblical-seeming swarm of pallid-winged grasshoppers, according to entomologists.
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

It’s Maine Shrimp Season, Without the Shrimp
As the state’s shrimp fishery is closed for a fifth year, scientists blame climate change, shrimpers fret and locals mourn a beloved treat.
Port Clyde, Maine, United States

Another Landslide Hits The Philippines
At least 15 people are dead and dozens more are missing.
Naga City, Naga, Philippines

Canadian Town, Isolated After Losing Rail Link, ‘Feels Held Hostage’
The last train to Churchill sits beside the town’s antique station, settling into place week after week.
It arrived on May 23, the morning when floods washed out the track connecting this frontier town in northern Manitoba on the edge of Hudson Bay — and it hasn’t moved since.
Once a symbol of expansion and hope, the passenger train has become a painful emblem of lost jobs, empty hotel rooms and mounting hunger for the town’s residents, and a bellwether of climate change for scientists.
Notoriously high to begin with, the price of groceries in Churchill has skyrocketed as supplies now arrive by plane. Even with emergency government subsidies in place, a four-liter jug of milk that once cost 6.19 Canadian dollars, or nearly $5, now rings in at 10.89. Two small bags of produce, containing just fruit, snap peas and beans, cost 82.99.
New York TImes

Left to Louisiana’s Tides, a Village Fights for Time
For the community of Jean Lafitte, the question is less whether it will succumb to the sea than when — and how much the public should invest in artificially extending its life.
Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, United States

New Mexico plateau named for birds seeing them die off
A 10-year study on the Pajarito Plateau shows a 73 percent decrease in abundance and a 45 percent decrease in variety of species.
Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
Santa Fe New Mexican

Mass Die-Off of Whales in Atlantic Is Being Investigated
Forty-one whales have died in the past 15 months along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Maine. Ten of the whales were killed by collisions with ships.On average, eight humpback whales are stranded each year and fewer than two are hit by ships.
New York City, New York, United States

The Seasons Aren’t What They Used to Be
In February, spring peepers made my ears ring as I walked through wetlands east of Nashville’s honky-tonks. These frogs were a month ahead of their normal schedule.
Canada-United States, North America
The New York Times

Fire May Be the Only Remedy for a Plague Killing Deer and Elk
Across a growing swath of North America, these animals are dying from a mysterious disorder called chronic wasting disease. It’s caused not by a virus or bacterium, but a deformed protein called a prion.
Rocky Mountains, United States

Canada’s Outdoor Rinks Are Melting. So Is a Way of Life.
Canada loves its ice, and outdoor hockey is part of the nation's cultural identity. So what happens when winters get too warm for backyard rinks?
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

As Wild Salmon Decline, Norway Pressures Its Giant Fish Farms
New rules to combat sea lice have angered Norway’s important aquaculture industry. But environmental groups want to go much further.
Byrknes, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway

Dangerously Low on Water, Cape Town Now Faces ‘Day Zero’
One of Africa’s richest cities is threatening to turn off the taps to its four million residents, cutting off homes and most businesses.
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Norimitsu Onishi and Somini Sengupta (The Daily Maverick)

Fish Seek Cooler Waters, Leaving Some Fishermen’s Nets Empty
Catch limits for fishermen are often based on where fish have been most abundant in the past. But they have failed to keep up with geographical changes.
Rhode Island, United States

Wildfires in Northern California Kill at Least One and Destroy 1,500 Buildings
Mass evacuations were ordered in what is being called one of the most destructive fire emergencies in the state’s history.
Glen Ellen, California, United States
Thomas Fuller, Jonah Engel Bromwich and Daniel Victor

‘It Burns and It Keeps Burning’: Scenes From Southern California’s Wildfires
Wildfires have burned more than 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Fighting them were professionals and homeowners with garden hoses.
Los Angeles, California, United States

In Peru’s Deserts, Melting Glaciers Are a Godsend (Until They’re Gone)
Accelerating glacial melt in the Andes caused by climate change has set off a gold rush downstream, letting the desert bloom. But as the ice vanishes, the vast farms below may do the same.
Virú, La Libertad, Peru

Alaska’s Permafrost Is Thawing
The loss of frozen ground in Arctic regions is a striking result of climate change. And it is also a cause of more warming to come.
Y-K Delta Southwest, Alaska, United States

Across Australia, Yet Another Scorching Summer
Australia’s heat waves, now an annual ordeal, have been expanding into new territory — like Tasmania, where more than 50 wildfires were burning as of Friday.
Australia

Rarely seen whale stranded on Waikato beach dies
A stranded whale on a Waikato beach has died, despite rescuers; best efforts to save it.
Waikato Region, New Zealand
Radio New Zealand

Easter Island Is Eroding
Rising ocean levels are causing waves to break on the statues and platforms built a thousand years ago. The island risks losing its cultural heritage. Again.
Easter Island, Chile

How Global Warming Fueled Five Extreme Weather Events
Scientists analyzed 27 extreme weather events from 2016 and found that global warming was a “significant driver” for most of them. We look at five cases.

Hurricane Maria Makes Landfall in Dominica as Other Islands Brace for Potential Disaster
Hurricane Maria barreled through the islands that curve through the Caribbean.
Dominican Republic, Caribbean

Death Toll From Heat Wave in Karachi, Pakistan, Hits 1,000
Searing temperatures, which have been as high as 113 degrees, were below 100 on Thursday, but a sense of panic and crisis persisted in the city.
Karachi, Sind, Pakistan

Powerful Quake and Tsunami Devastate Northern Japan
Japan was filled with scenes of desperation a day after an 8.9-magnitude quake, as survivors called for help and rescuers looked for people buried in rubble.
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

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