LEO Network

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

Observations

Alaska sends firefighters, air tanker to help with Alberta’s ‘unprecedented’ early wildfire season
“This is the first time that we’ve sent a crew to Canada in May,” said Lily Coyle with the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Alberta, Canada
Alaska Public Media

Water crisis in Catalonia
The region of Catalonia, northeastern Spain, is in its worst drought since measurements began. The sheep reservoir supplies water to the city of Barcelona.
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
NRK

Project looks into causes, effects of 2016-2019 drought
Hotter weather and less rain drove the three-year drought.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

West megadrought worsens to driest in at least 1,200 years
By Seth Borenstein | The Associated Press FILE - A kayaker paddles in Lake Oroville as water levels remain low due to continuing drought conditions in
Sacramento, California, United States
The Sacramento Observer

In Iraq's famed marshlands, climate change is upending a way of life
Drought and extreme heat that scientists link to climate change are altering the UNESCO-protected marshlands. Iraq's average annual temperatures are increasing at nearly double the rate of Earth's.
الجبيش, Dhi Qar, Iraq
NPR.org

Bigleaf maple decline tied to hotter, drier summers in Washington
Scientists, concerned hikers and residents have observed more stressed and dying bigleaf maple across urban and suburban neighborhoods as well as in forested areas. While forest pathologists have ruled out several specific diseases, the overall cause of the tree’s decline has stumped experts for years.
Seattle, Washington, United States
UW News

Pak farmers protest against water shortage
A large number of farmers on Saturday staged a protest march against the acute shortage of water at Dadu district located in Pakistan Sindh province located in Pakistan's Sindh province.
Islamabad, Islāmābād, Pakistan
Big News Network.com

Colorado River, Lifeline Of The West, Sees Historic Water Shortage Declaration
The first-ever shortage declaration on the Colorado River forces arid Western states to re-examine their relationship with resources many take for granted, drinking water and cheap hydroelectricity.
Colorado, United States
NPR.org

Climate change is endangering sacred land. For these Native women, it threatens ‘everything we are.’
Wildfires in Western states have razed structures, displaced residents and altered air quality - and fundamentally changed the relationship between Native women and the land they have historically stewarded.
Newell, California, United States
Anchorage Daily News

‘How Can We Survive When the Land Is Gone?’ In Dagestan, a Proud People Fights the Desert
For 30 years now, climate change has been driving the sands further into the Nogai steppe, gradually transforming the traditional homeland of a the people that once dominated much of southern Russia from green and pleasant pasture to barren desert.
Terekli-Mekteb, Dagestan, Russia
The Moscow Times

Southwest Bird Die-Off Caused by Long-Term Starvation
A new report based on necropsies conducted by the USGS's National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin suggests that the die-off was caused by long-term starvation and was likely exacerbated by a spate of freakishly cold weather.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Smithsonian Magazine

In Colorado’s climate change hot spot, the West’s water is evaporating
The largest part of the continental United States to warm more than 2 degrees Celsius since 1895 feeds the Colorado River.
Grand Valley, Colorado, United States
Anchorage Daily News

For first time in 8 years, 100% of Colorado is under drought or abnormally dry conditions
A combination in Colorado of paltry spring snow, warmer temperatures that triggered earlier melting of winter mountain snowpack, feeble rain through summer, and parched soil from previous dry years led to this formal label.
Colorado, United States
The Denver Post

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

Koalas ‘Functionally Extinct’ After Australia Bushfires Destroy 80% of Their Habitat
As Australia experiences record-breaking drought and bushfires, koala populations have dwindled along with their habitat, leaving them “functionally extinct.”
New South Wales and Queensland, Australia
Forbes

Metlakatla, which depends on water, has moved quickly to accommodate the realities of drought
Following a season of drought, the Southeast Alaska community of Metlakatla is navigating a different relationship with water, like a number of other places in the region.
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Iqaluit water reservoir is almost full, just in time for winter
An emergency project to pump water from Unnamed Lake started in mid-August, and has been successful. The city's reservoir at Lake Geraldine is projected to be filled ten days ahead of schedule.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

California Sinking
For more than a century farmers in California's Central Valley have been pumping water out of the ground — so much so that the land is slowly sinking, a process known as subsidence. In fewer than 100 years, it's dropped 8½ metres.
Corcoran, California, United States
CBC

Extreme weather has already displaced 7 million people this year
Following Hurricane Dorian, large parts of the Bahamas have been left in a state of ruin, made unlivable to the hundreds of thousands of people who have called the islands their home.
Mic

This summer is on track to be the driest on record for Southcentral Alaska
The region has seen less than an inch of rainfall since June 1 and no measurable rain at all during August, putting it on track to beat a 50-year record.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Salal’s Worrisome Die-Off
This ubiquitous shrub of the Pacific Northwest is dying. Some scientists theorize that a disease or fungus could be the culprit, while others point to this past winter’s unusually dry weather.
Coastal British Columbia to Oregon
Hakai Magazine

Water shortage on Salt Spring Island
The North Salt Spring Island Waterworks District and the Capital Regional District have partnered to request $50,000 from the B.C. government for a "Water Service Optimization" study.
Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Western red cedars are dying of drought and scientists say it’s one more portent of climate change
The ‘persistent and widespread decline’ of the province’s official tree is due to drier, California-like summer droughts of two to three months.
Southwestern British Columbia, Canada
The Star

Southeast's rare drought could threaten plants, animals, your power bill
The entirety of Southeast Alaska is in some state of drought.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Guatemala migrants: Climate change driving exodus
Average daytime temperatures in Guatemala have risen over the past decade, while crop-damaging frosts are more common.
Guatemala
Al Jazeera

Cedar die off impacts many on Vancouver Island
The die off of Western Red Cedar trees on East Vancouver Island due to drought and severe weather has First Nations extremely worried. Cedar is a critical part of first nations culture and as Skye Ryan reports, there is growing concern the dying trees will have a ripple down effect.
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Western red cedars die off as extended dry spells continue
Some Western red cedars are struggling after repeated bouts of drought conditions and experts say expect the tree to vanish for good in spots with shallow, dry, rocky soil.
Coastal British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Uruguay´s soybean crop forecasted to drop 43% because of devastating drought
Due to the recent devastating drought, soybean production in Uruguay is forecast to drop to 1.7 million tons in 2017-18, according to an April 30 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Uruguay
MercoPress

Grass crops in Eastern Norway halved in 2018
Last year's drought summer resulted in halved grass crops in Eastern Norway compared to the previous year, according to recent figures from Statistics Norway. - The consequences of the drought continue to affect the daily lives of many farmers, says Lars Petter Bartnes, leader of the Norwegian Farmers' Union.
Akershus, Norway
Norges Bondelag

‘A Harbinger of Things to Come’: Farmers in Australia Struggle With Its Hottest Drought Ever
As Australia faces historic drought conditions, the impacts of climate change are increasingly difficult to ignore.
Pilliga, New South Wales, Australia
Time

Thawing of Earth 3rd pole; could affect 1.9 billion people, study says
At least a third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush will thaw this century as temperatures rise, disrupting river flows vital for growing crops from China to India, scientists say.
Hindu Kush Himalaya

Inuvik infrastructure may not be ready for climate change
The Arctic is expected to get warmer and wetter by the end of this century and new research says that could mean trouble for infrastructure in Inuvik.
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada

Drought turns part of Iran into a new dust bowl
In this corner of the Middle East, a changing climate and debilitating dust storms have brought life to a standstill.
Southeastern Iran
National Geographic

Critically Low Monarch Population in California
The California overwintering population has been reduced to less than 0.5% of its historical size, and has declined by 86% compared to 2017.
California, United States
The Xerces Society

Climate Change Is Fueling Wildfires Nationwide
Global warming has already resulted in more forest fires out West, according to the latest National Climate Assessment. The future could see more of the country burn.
Western United States
New York Times

Drying Canadian Wetland Drives Muskrat Decline
A new study shows loss of habitat in Canada’s Peace-Athabasca Delta is likely responsible for the decline of semi-aquatic muskrat, and could have larger implications.
Peace-Athabaska Delta
Stanford Earth

Mother had 'no other choice' but to sell her 6-year-old daughter
An unprecedented drought in Afghanistan has led to families selling their children just to be able to feed their households.
هرات, Hirat, Afghanistan
CNN
Nick Paton Walsh and Masoud Popalzai, CNN

With rain in the forecast, Ketchikan switches back to hydroelectric power
Following an extremely dry summer, October started off equally dry. But, the second half of the month has brought enough rain that Ketchikan’s electric utility is finally switching off its diesel generators.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

UK climate getting warmer and wetter, says Met Office
Our hottest and coldest days are both getting warmer and tropical nights are becoming more common, a report says.
United Kingdom
Sky News

Few animals slaughtered early due to dry summer
Fewer than expected animals have been slaughtered early due to the unusually dry weather, reports a business association for Swedish slaughterhouses.
Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden
Radio Sweden

Hot, dry weather shrivels cereal harvest by a third
An unusually dry, hot summer means Sweden will see smaller yields of crops like wheat, barley and oats, according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Sweden
Sveriges Radio

Photos: How climate change is transforming Canada
From floods to fires, drought to coastal erosion, climate change is already having an impact on Canada's communities, landscapes and wildlife
Canada
Canadian Geographic

Ukraine wheat harvest, exports to fall on drought: analyst
UkrAgroConsult on Tuesday cut its forecast for Ukraine's 2018/19 crop year wheat harvest and exports due to a severe drought across the country during spring and the first half of summer.
Київ, Київська, Ukraine
U.S.

Stressed Crops in Ukraine and Russia
Under the one-two punch of a dry fall and a frigid winter, winter crops in Ukraine were in poor condition in April and May 2006. This vegetation anomaly (difference from normal) image was created from data collected by MODIS. Widespread brown indicates that plants throughout the region had grown less compared to the average growth for 2000-2005. The Foreign Agricultural Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, estimated that only 10 metric tons of winter wheat, the primary crop growing here, would be harvested in July and August. That figure was down about 46 percent from the 18.7 metric tons harvested in 2005.
Київ, Київська, Ukraine
NASA Earth Observatory

In Fountain, Colorado, There’s Plenty Of Room For New Homes. But There Isn’t Enough Water
Colorado Springs' housing boom is expanding into nearby cities, like Fountain. But new homes require water — and there are currently fewer than 9,000 taps to Fountain’s water supply.
Fountain, Colorado, United States
Colorado Public Radio

‘Some days we eat grass’: families on the edge in Afghanistan’s food crisis – in pictures
Drought, economic collapse and soaring food prices have pushed millions into hunger. Cash aid from the Disasters Emergency Committee is helping families feed their children and send them back to school
Afghanistan
the Guardian

Utah Debates Solutions to Water Shortage
Growing population and limited water has Utah lawmakers and conservation groups discussing how to replenish the state's water sources. A new state grant program will help farmers convert idle land in an effort to mitigate the environmental and economic effects of drought on the state.
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Premature Mortality Observations among Alaska’s Pacific Salmon During Record Heat and Drought in 2019
Widespread mortality of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. returning to spawn in Alaska coincided with record-breaking air temperatures and prolonged drought in summer 2019.
Western Alaska, United States
Fisheries Magazine

Low water in Yellowknife Bay not increasing arsenic risk says official, researcher
An official with the Giant Mine remediation project and a local researcher aren't worried the low water in Yellowknife Bay is exposing people to more arsenic in areas along the shore line.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

Support

Observation Template