Background Articles

Scant snow is giving way to shaggy brown grass normally not seen until spring breakup, raising concerns now that conditions are increasingly ripe for a fast-moving fire at a time of year usually deep in the grip of winter.

Snow-dependent businesses in Anchorage are struggling as an unusually dry winter with record low snowfall forces snow removal and outdoor gear companies to scale back operations.

“It’s out of the ordinary but nothing that’s unprecedented,” according to Arctic Valley Ski Area general manager John Robinson-Wilson.

Research from the University of New Brunswick indicates that balsam fir trees are at risk due to climate change, with rising temperatures and drought conditions being key concerns.

A new study found that the drying Great Salt Lake in Utah is now a major source of the gas emissions that are causing the climate to warm.

Agrigento, a tourist destination in Sicily, is facing severe water shortages, leading to rationing and the turning away of tourists, impacting the local economy reliant on tourism and agriculture.

Low water levels on the Mackenzie River are causing cargo shipments to use a different route to access northern communities, beginning in the Arctic Ocean. 

Due to a mild winter and warmer year, this wildfire season is looking to be worse, not better, than the last

Washington State declares a statewide drought emergency due to significantly low snowpack levels, with expectations of less than 75% of the normal water supply.