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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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Management of the Alta River criticized: 'It stinks everywhere'
Large numbers of post‑spawning pink salmon are rotting along the Alta River in Finnmark, causing strong odors and anger among anglers. Critics say the river lacked an effective trap in 2025, while managers and authorities cite technical challenges and are using netting and clean‑ups as interim measures.
Alta, Finnmark, Norway
NRK
Christina Gjertsen; André Bendixen; Iselin Bonesvoll

Fairbanks sees improved air quality after decade of effort
A combination of cold air and geography traps wood smoke pollution in Fairbanks. Drier firewood and more efficient stoves are helping.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Scientists around the globe raise concerns as the U.S. stops sharing air quality data from its embassies
The decision worried some local scientists and experts who say the data was vital for people to be able to monitor air quality and their government’s progress in improving public health.
New Delhi, NCT, India
Anchorage Daily News

Nornickel launches air quality monitoring system in Norilsk
Norilsk Nickel has deployed 16 automatic monitoring stations across Greater Norilsk to measure SO₂, H₂S, CO, NO₂, particulate matter, temperature, pressure and humidity, providing real-time air quality data every 20 minutes via the city’s website.
Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia
Taymyr Telegraph

"Chimney-Free Zone" to Be Established in Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia's Cabinet has decided to implement a "Chimney-Free Zone" in Ulaanbaatar to improve air quality by banning solid fuel and promoting gas heating, alongside providing green loans and subsidies.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
MONTSAME News Agency

Alaska’s climate and environment continue to change, including in some ‘astounding’ ways
Alaska is experiencing rapid environmental changes, including record-high temperatures, shrinking sea ice, increased wildfires, and unusual wildlife patterns, such as the decline of salmon and the rise of snow goose populations.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Study suggests dust is a hidden player in the Arctic's changing climate
A recent study indicates that dust plays a significant role in the Arctic's climate changes, affecting how clouds form and their impact on the region's climate dynamics.
Arctic
Eye on the Arctic

Climate change affecting life in Alaska
Climate change is affecting nearly every aspect of life, said Gwich’in Council International board member Evon Taa’ąįį Peter, who is Neetsaii Gwich’in and Koyukon Athabascan. For one thing, he told ICT, more than 60% of the forest lands of the Alaskan Gwich’in nation have burned in wildfires in the past 10 years. As of July 10, 582,000 acres had burned this year in 328 wildfires in Alaska. “I couldn’t open the windows of my house for seven days straight, I think, because it would just let smoke billow into my home, which was already too unhealthy for us to be outside. So most of us just had to remain indoors…so there’s definitely very real dramatic and in-our-face impacts from climate change across the state, even in (an urban area like) Fairbanks,” Peter said.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Beacon

Inside a company’s bid to make Alaska’s next big oil field lower-carbon
With the future of fossil fuels in question, an Australian oil company is branding its new Arctic development as climate-friendly.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Hawaii study shows almost 75% of Maui wildfire survey participants have respiratory issues
A University of Hawaii study examining the health effects of last year’s deadly wildfires on Maui has found that up to 74% of participants may have difficulty breathing and otherwise have poor respiratory health.
Lahaina, Hawaii, United States
AP News

Canada's wildfires blamed for rise in global loss of tree cover outside of tropics
Canada's record wildfires contribute significantly to global non-tropical tree cover loss, with implications for climate change and biodiversity.
Canada
CBC

Could a new Alaska coal power plant be climate friendly? An $11 million study aims to find out
An $11 million study, funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant, will investigate the feasibility of a new coal power plant in Alaska with carbon capture and storage technology.
Susitna, Alaska, United States
ArcticToday

11 people charged in Sweden's biggest ever environmental crime case
Eleven individuals from Think Pink are charged in Sweden's largest environmental crime case for illegally dumping waste, causing fires and toxic leaks.
Botkyrka, Sweden

EPA wants to get the lead out of aviation gas. Alaska's U.S. senators say it's a bad move for the state.
Alaska's U.S. senators oppose the EPA's move to regulate and phase out leaded aviation gasoline, citing potential negative impacts on the state's travel and economy.
Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Alaska Airlines is pitching an 'eco-friendly' alternative to the mileage run this year. How green is it?
Alaska Airlines is promoting Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional mileage runs, though its effectiveness depends on production methods and it's not yet widely adopted or cost-competitive.
Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

What lichens can tell us about climate and pollution
Lichens can provide valuable information about air quality and environmental conditions, as different species have different sensitivities to pollution and humidity levels, making them useful indicators of climate and pollution levels in a given area.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
CBC

Unalaska under air quality advisory for Shishaldin volcano ashfall
Unalaska in Alaska is under an air quality advisory due to ashfall from the eruption of Mount Shishaldin on Unimak Island, with the advisory extended until Thursday.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States

How the Maui wildfires devastated Lahaina, hour by hour
Survivors of the Maui fire in Lahaina say they were overwhelmed by the speed of the blaze, the smothering smoke and the lack of escape routes.
Lahaina, Hawaii, United States
Washington Post

Wildfires in the Interior, potential drought in Southeast as record heat drags into August
There are now 140 active Interior wildfires, with Southeast Alaska seeing "abnormally dry" conditions.
Alaska, United States

'I'm definitely worried': Wildfire smoke means Yellowknife's air quality among worst in Canada
Clean, fresh air can be part of the draw for tourists to Canada's North — but they won't find it this week in Yellowknife due to wildfire smoke.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Wildfire smoke, extreme heat continue to steamroll N.W.T. communities
Wildfire smoke has been blasting much of the N.W.T. lately, with air quality advisories in nearly every community Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, much of the territory is also coping with record-breaking heat.
Northwest Territories, Canada

Smoke from Canada wildfires reaches Southeast Alaska
People in Southeast Alaska are starting to see smoke from Canada's record-breaking wildfire season — and there’s more to come. The air quality levels are still fair: hovering around 17, on a scale that goes up to 300.
Petersburg, Alaska, United States

Borough wood stove change-out program continues
As the Fairbanks North Star Borough continues to tweak plans to improve air quality in its nonattainment zone, its wood stove change-out program continues to grow.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Millions breathing hazardous air as smoke from Canadian wildfires streams south over US
The air quality index, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency metric for air pollution, exceeded a staggering 400 at times in Syracuse, New York City and Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. A level of 50 or under is considered good; anything over 300 is considered “hazardous,” when even healthy people are advised to curtail outdoor physical activity.
New York City, New York, United States
AP NEWS

E-fuel: Norwegian invests in aviation fuel in Mosjøen as first in the country
Norwegian invests NOK 50 million to build Norway's first e-fuel factory. Airline company Norwegian thus hopes to reach its own climate goals, and using e-fuel rather than jet fuel.
Mosjøen, Nordland, Norway
NRK

Alaska seeks federal air quality waiver due to wildfire smoke impact
Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation seeks a waiver to exclude 2022-2023 wildfire smoke from EPA air quality assessments, citing these as "exceptional events."
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

As permafrost thaws, a Biden-supported drilling plan is on unstable ground
ConocoPhillips' massive Willow project would emit 284 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over its 30-year lifetime.
Nuiqsut, Alaska, United States
Grist

B.C. Wildfires 2021: Hundreds of properties on evacuation order or alert as wildfire between Oliver and Osoyoos spreads
As of Tuesday, there were 299 wildfires burning in B.C., with 40 evacuation orders affecting approximately 5,724 people (2,862 properties), in addition to 69 evacuation alerts impacting approximately 32,076 people (16,038 properties).
Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

St Vincent volcano erupts again, spewing more gas and ash
Experts raise concerns about residents who refuse to evacuate as ‘huge explosion’ reported at La Soufriere volcano. The volcano, which last erupted in 1979, began spewing copious amounts of ash on Friday.
La Soufriere, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Al Jazeera

400 million rubles will be allocated for waste elimination in Usolie-Sibirskoye.
The Interdepartmental Working Group approved a list of priority measures to eliminate environmental damage in the town of Usolie-Sibirskoye, Irkutsk Region. This was reported by the press service of Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko.
Усолье-Сибирское, Irkutsk, Russia
Russian newspaper

On land, Australia's rising heat is 'apocalyptic'; in the ocean, it's even worse
BRUNY ISLAND, TASMANIA (WASHINGTON POST) - Even before the ocean caught fever and reached temperatures no one had ever seen, Australia's ancient giant kelp was cooked.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Australia
The Straits Times

Wildfire smoke drifts back into Anchorage area
The intensity of the smoke this week will be “hit or miss” depending on winds and fire behavior.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

UAF project seeks to provide air quality data for rural, remote Alaska areas
A graduate student with the University of Alaska Fairbanks is installing air-quality sensors in rural and remote areas around the state to monitor wildfire smoke and other types of air pollution.

Он гарсаар 89 удаагийн ой, хээрийн түймэр гараад байна
Улсын хэмжээнд 2019 оны 07 дугаар сарын 16-ны байдлаар нийслэл Улаанбаатар хот, Булган, Баян-Өлгий, Дорнод, Дорноговь, Дархан-Уул, Сэлэнгэ, Сүхбаатар, Төв, Увс, Хөвсгөл, Хэнтий аймгийн 43 суманд нийт 89 удаагийн ой, хээрийн гал түймэр гарч урьдчилсан байдлаар 49593.8 га ой, 250839.2 га хээрийн талбай, нийт 300433 га талбай түймэрт өртөж, 13 байшин, гурван гэр шатсан. Дээрх … 43 soums of Ulaanbaatar, Bulgan, Bayan-Ulgii, Dornod, Dornogovi, Darkhan-Uul, Selenge, Sukhbaatar, Tuv, Uvs, Khuvsgul and Khentii aimags.
Mongolia
News.MN - Мэдээллийн эх сурвалж

Swan Lake Fire spreads smoky haze to much of Southcentral
The state Division of Air Quality is warning of the smoke's potential health effects, with advisories in effect until Friday evening, pending any extensions.
Sterling, Alaska, United States

South Korea plans artificial rain to reduce Seoul air pollution
President Moon hopes collaboration with China will improve air quality in the country.
Yellow Sea and Korean Peninsula
AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Loads of seaweed are threatening the Caribbean’s sea life and tourism. Experts say we may be to blame
Scientists say the threat from sargassum is as serious as rising sea levels and hurricanes.
Quintana Roo, Mexico
Washington Post

How smoky skies from wildfires is affecting mental health
Extreme smoke seems to be a new feature of summers in British Columbia with back-to-back years of heavy wildfires in the province and, for some, the overcast skies are taking a toll on mental health.
British Columbia, Canada

Lingering B.C. wildfire smoke puts children, elderly at risk
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control recommends children and elderly stay indoors during lingering smoke from forest fires.
British Columbia, Canada
The Star

Wildfire smoke blanketing much of B.C. causing health concerns, traffic warnings
The smoke has pushed pollution in Calgary and other cities to dangerous levels, and cast an unsettling, spooky haze over almost every part of B.C.
British Columbia, Canada
The Globe and Mail

Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation's solar farm now generating electricity
There will be something noticeably different in Old Crow, Yukon in a few months. The hum of diesel engines will be gone, as the community's solar farm is now generating power. "The symbolism in shutting down those generators will be, we're becoming more sustainable and we're becoming more self-sufficient like our ancestors were," said Brandon Kyikavichik, the First Nation's heritage interpreter.
Old Crow, Yukon, Canada

Russian planes seed clouds as raging wildfires near Siberian power plant
Russian planes seeded clouds to bring down rain on huge wildfires raging in the Siberian region of Yakutia that in one place spread dangerously close to a hydroelectric power plant, authorities said on Monday.
Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia
ArcticToday

Alaska seeks more time to submit air-quality plan for particulate-plagued Fairbanks
The state’s environmental commissioner is pushing back on EPA’s position that the state should address power-plant emissions.

Nez Perce Tribe leads the way in protecting the community from wildfire smoke indoors
The Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho is leading efforts to protect vulnerable community members from wildfire smoke indoors by distributing free portable air purifiers and providing education on indoor air quality. A nearby paper mill is a local source of emissions. But now, wildfire smoke is the main pollutant the reservation faces, a near-constant each summer.
Boise, Idaho, United States
KSUT Public Radio

Fairbanks winter air pollution holds clues for safe living in northern cities worldwide
A major source of pollution comes from wood-burning stoves. Other sources are vehicle exhaust systems, power plant emissions and heating oil. The air pollution can permanently harm respiratory function and cause other health problems.

Alaska fire agencies offer wildfire-smoke reports online
Alaskans have shown interest in online smoke and air-quality advisories after a surge of lightning-caused fires across the Interior.

Thawing permafrost could expose Arctic populations to cancer-causing radon
According to a new study, thawing of permafrost due to climate change could expose the Arctic population to much greater concentrations of the invisible, lung cancer-causing gas Radon.
ScienceDaily

By road and by air, Yellowknifers head home after 3-week evacuation
A three-week evacuation odyssey ended for many Yellowknifers Wednesday, as people began to return home. The barricades outside of the city opened at 11 a.m., and cars began streaming in.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

ConocoPhillips Alaska says gas release source is controlled
The release was first detected last month at one of the company’s North Slope drill sites. A report from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, dated Friday, listed the cause of the release as under evaluation and said that future plans included a continuation of “source remediation operations.”
Alpine Field

Great Salt Lake is shrinking fast. Scientists demand action before it becomes a toxic dustbin
Great Salt Lake is also known as America's Dead Sea -- owing to a likeness to its much smaller Middle Eastern counterpart -- but scientists worry the moniker could soon take new meaning.
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
CNN

Prevalence of serum antibodies to Coxiella burnetii in Alaska Native Persons from the Pribilof Islands
Q fever is a febrile illness caused by infection with the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. It is most often transmitted by inhalation of the bacteria after it is shed by infected livestock. The antibody prevalence in NFS samples from 2009 and 2011 (69%) was significantly higher than in 1994 (49%). The antibody prevalence of SSL samples from 2007 to 2011 was 59%. All NFS vaginal swabs were negative for C. burnetii, despite an 80% antibody prevalence in the matched sera. The significant increase in antibody prevalence in NFS from 1994 to 2011 suggests that the pathogen may be increasingly common or that there is marked temporal variation within the vulnerable NFS population.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States
PubMed Central (PMC)

Observed Evidence of Changing Forests:Testimonial for the Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report
The Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program is publishing a report called the Status of Tribes and Climate C...
Spokane, Washington, United States
YouTube

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