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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

Governor declares a disaster for storm-damaged Southeast
Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Saturday signed a disaster declaration.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Dozens of Haines residents evacuated from their homes as rain and landslides continue
Dozens more homes in Haines were evacuated Thursday night as rain continued to saturate the mountainsides near residential neighborhoods.
Haines, Alaska, United States
KHNS Haines

Changing climate means more landslides in future, scientists say in wake of Haines disaster
The region is prime landslide territory and a changing climate - trending toward warmer, rainier winters - is likely to increase the frequency of slides in the future.
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Red Dog Mine starts water purification project
The Red Dog Mine announced last week that it was able to start the use of a new waste water treatment system to purify water after record-breaking warm weather in 2019 caused the sediment levels to rise in the Ikalukrok and Wulik Rivers.
Red Dog Mine, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

Permafrost thaw results in $20 million in water management expenses for Alaska zinc mine
Permafrost thaw surrounding the massive Red Dog Mine is releasing higher natural levels of dissolved minerals and other particles into streams, Teck Resources Ltd. says
Red Dog Mine, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Dramatic growth in glacial lakes globally
In the largest study of glacial lakes ever conducted, researchers using satellite data from NASA and Google Earth have found the volume of water in glacial lakes has increased by 50 per cent since 1990 as glaciers melt due to climate change.
Nepal
CTV News, Calgary

Rivers are threatened by both shallowing and flooding
The Russian region is threatened by water- both its excess and its absence. This was announced on Monday at a weekly conference at the National Anti-Crisis Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia
Черкесск, Karachayevo-Cherkesiya, Russia
Российская газета

Scientists, forecasters ask Alaskans for river breakup information
Alaskans can help the National Weather Service monitor rivers during a potentially dangerous breakup this year through a University of Alaska Fairbanks citizen science project.
College, Alaska, United States
UAF news and information

Nova Scotia town sinking as sea levels rising
Liverpool, N.S., is trying to ward off flood waters from rising sea levels while the community is also starting to sink.
Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada
CBC News

New report sheds more light on climate change impacts to Alaska Native villages
A recent report compiled by the Army Corps of Engineers and researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks documents erosion and other environmental threats facing communities in rural Alaska.
Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Their Islands Are Being Eroded. So Are Their Human Rights, They Say.
Indigenous Australians from low-lying islands in the Torres Strait argue that the government, by failing to act on climate change, has violated their fundamental right to maintain their culture.
Masig Island, Torres Strait, Australia
New York Times

Greenland Is Falling Apart
Since 1972, the giant island’s ice sheet has lost 11 quadrillion pounds of water.
Greenland Ice Sheet
The Atlantic

Huerfano County prepares for potentially major flooding
Huerfano County says it's preparing for the worst when it comes to this year's flood season and it wants residents to be prepared.
Walsenburg, Colorado, United States
KOAA.com

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
CBC

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
CBC

The pursuit of climate change
Slik har Norge forandret seg. Sakte, nesten umerkelig.
Sør-Odal, Hedmark, Norway
NRK, Norsk Rikskringkasting

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

Wisconsin Reservation Offers A Climate Success Story And A Warning
Climate change is causing more severe flooding around the country, and a disproportionate number of Native American communities are on the front lines.
Odanah, Wisconsin, United States
NPR.org

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

The catastrophic thermokarst lake drainage events of 2018 in northwestern Alaska: fast-forward into the future
The combination of abundant rain and snowfall and extremely warm mean annual air temperatures may have led to the destabilization of permafrost around lake margins. Rapid snow melt and high amounts of excess meltwater further promoted rapid lateral breaching at lake shores and consequently sudden drainage of some of the largest lakes of the study region.
Kotzebue, Alaska
The Cryosphere

New Study Finds 8 Islands Swallowed By Rising Sea Level
Need a reason to be concerned about rising sea level? I've got eight.
Nahlap Island, Micronesia
Forbes

400 plus Alaskans received financial assistance from FEMA, application deadline is Nov. 22
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has disbursed $3.3 million to help Western Alaskans rebuild after ex-typhoon Merbok struck the coast a month ago.
Nome, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

'We need people to keep their head': Grocers, suppliers struggle to refill empty shelves in flooded B.C.
Authorities try to talk down a wave of panic buying in B.C. stores as washed-out roads and rail lines snarl supply chains
Rosedale, British Columbia, Canada
Financial Post

Fuel contamination the next concern in flood-ravaged Hay River, N.W.T. | CBC News
Janice Moore, who lives along the West Channel, is worried about fuel contamination after intense flooding in Hay River, N.W.T., left multiple fuel containers strewn about her property. "You can smell the diesel smell and fuel smell," she said.
Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

First Nation warns of 'ecocide' as spring melt poses risk to tailings pond at Yukon mine site
The Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation is warning spring melt could cause the tailings dam at the abandoned Mount Nansen mine in central Yukon to overflow or breach, which would send a toxic slurry into the environment.
Mt. Nansen, Mine

Canada’s disappearing coastline
Projections show rising sea levels could cause Canada’s beaches to retreat inland, in extreme cases by as much as half a kilometre. The best option may be to stand back and let it happen.
Canada's Beaches
The Globe and Mail

Girdwood faces high costs to repair aftermath of record-breaking storm, official says
The temporary repairs would consume about 60% of the town’s annual budget for contract work on roads, a Girdwood official said.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News look

New rivers in the North? Scientists identify how the dissection of Arctic landscapes is changing with accelerating climate change
New research shows that amplified global warming in the Canadian High Arctic drove a profound shift in the structure of a river network carved into a permafrost landscape in only 60 years. Researchers combined air photographs from 1959 with field observations and state-of-the-art Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data they collected in 2019 to understand how the Axel Heiberg Island landscape has evolved over a 60-year period
Axel Heiberg Island
ScienceDaily

Here’s why downpour in Florida just wouldn’t stop
In some ways, it was the Florida Man of storms – not quite knowing when to say when. Usually, thunderstorms fizzle out after they run out of rain or get cold air sucked in. But not Wednesday, when …
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
DC News Now | Washington, DC

Kenai Peninsula borough declares flooding emergency
Kenai River flooding began last week when glacier-dammed lakes burst and caused water levels to rapidly rise. Water levels were already high due to recent rainfall.
Sterling, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

‘No home to go to’: Hundreds of evacuees need shelter as catastrophic Western Alaska storm empties inundated villages
Troopers said that they have suspended the active search for two men missing from Kwigillingok, one of the hardest-hit communities. The men are related to the storm’s lone confirmed fatality, a 67-year-old woman found Monday.
Kipnuk, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Evacuation alerts in areas of Tagish, Marsh Lake, and Lewes River Road
An evacuation alert has been issued by Yukon Emergency Measures Organization for areas of Tagish, Marsh Lake and Lewes River Road. This alert is due to high water and flooding in the areas. Water levels have exceeded what they were in the 2007 flood.
Marsh Lake, Yukon, Canada

Flooding in Finland is getting worse, new climate report says
Pori and Rovaniemi are among the areas to be worst affected in the coming decades, the Finnish Climate Change Panel warned in a new report.
Finland
Yle Uutiset

As lower Kuskokwim River breaks up, Bethel sees highest river gauge level in almost 20 years
Amid the highest water levels seen since 2005, the city urges residents to be prepared for things to get worse.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Flood risk higher due to rising freezing levels and rain melting snowpack
Weather systems that carry warm air inland, bringing not just rain, but also pushing up freezing levels, causing rapid snowpack melting. The atmospheric river hitting B.C.'s central coast will also pose a risk in the Interior.
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
Castanet

Citizen observers help scientists predict breakup flooding
As Alaska faces an increased risk of spring breakup flooding this year, scientists are asking residents to share photos documenting major rivers’ progress from ice to water to help them predict with more accuracy where flooding might occur.
Tanana, Alaska, United States

Africa's most populous city is battling floods and rising seas. It may soon be unlivable, experts warn
Cars and houses submerged in water, commuters wading through buses knee-high in floods, and homeowners counting the cost of destroyed properties.
Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
CNN

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