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

One gardener’s ambitious plan to plant half a million carrots is growing Kodiak’s local food movement
You could say Dave Jackson is Kodiak’s carrot kingpin. Carrots are one of the key vegetables in the gardening/farming practices in the archipelago's of Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Analysis: Fears mount for the Arctic as cooperation with Russia stalls
For nearly three decades, the Arctic Council has been a successful example of post-Cold War cooperation. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a freezing of relations; what risks do the breakdown of Arctic collaboration pose to the region?
Arctic
ArcticToday

A Chugiak trailer park under eviction notice lacks clean water and sits on contaminated land. Many residents are fighting to stay.
Tenants in the Forest Park trailer court say they have few, if any, affordable options. Some officials see a warning sign of a worsening housing crisis to come.
Chugiak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Drones could make Juneau’s avalanche monitoring faster and more precise
The new project with drone maker DJI will try to get a bigger picture than fieldwork trips with more frequent, automated drone flights.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Alaska state agency gives preliminary approval to Valdez ski resort effort
Three Valdez residents behind the proposed ski area say a resort could provide year-round tourism opportunities as more cruise ships arrive and the oil industry declines.
Valdez, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Why disposable vapes are becoming an environmental liability
In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at the ecological cost of disposable vapes.
Canada
CBC

China puts pressure on more mining in Norway
As of today, China controls 98 percent of the rare earths that Europe needs for the green shift. Høgre writes that the Fens field has "the greatest potential to break the Chinese dependence"
Skien, Telemark, Norway
NRK

Fears that thousands of solar panels will ruin the view
Today, they can look out over spruce forests and fields. But where the forest stands, there can be a solar power plant the size of 80 football fields.
Norway
NRK

As rural communities prepare for climate change, a UAA scientist is trying to connect them with data
Dr. Micah Hahn received an EPA grant to make air quality and health data easier to access in rural Alaska.
Alaska, United States

Pet owners advised to keep dogs and cats away from dead birds
With geese and other wild birds returning to the region every day, New Brunswick dog and cat owners should be aware of the risk of avian influenza, says the registrar of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association.
New Brunswick, Canada
CBC

Northwest Arctic and North Slope borough officials support Ambler road despite some local opposition
Ambler Elder Virginia Commack said that the borough's decision does not reflect the opinion of many Northwest Arctic residents. This month, almost 80 Northwest Arctic residents, current and former, signed the petition against the development of the Ambler road project. When the Alaska Department of Natural Resources held two public hearings last year, out of about 37 people who called, only two spoke in support of the project.
Ambler, Alaska, United States

Alaska had a quieter year for earthquakes in 2022, new report says
Last year, over 47,000 earthquakes were recorded in Alaska and nearby regions, a slight decrease in seismic activity compared to recent years.
Alaska, United States

Haaland defends Alaska's Willow project, says U.S. won’t end oil drilling
“We’re not going to say we’re not going to use gas and oil. That’s not reality,″ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said Friday.
Nuiqsut, alaska

Wild reindeer committee wants to remove musk ox from Dovrefjell
The musk oxen attract a lot of tourists, and generate a lot of traffic into reindeer areas.
Snøhetta, Norway
NRK

How will climate change affect Arctic agriculture?
“Warmer and wetter winters shorten the winter season and prolong the growing season, which give rise to new opportunities. Among other things, this includes higher annual yield with several harvests, along with the possibility to grow new, more productive crop varieties and species,” says Dr Sigridur Dalmannsdottir at NIBIO.
Arctic
The Independent Barents Observer

A small but growing group of EV owners in Alaska show electric cars can work in the frigid north
Chugach Electric Association estimates there are more than 2,300 EVs (including plug-in hybrids) on the road in Alaska. That’s still a tiny percentage of the total cars, but in Anchorage alone, that number went up by 120% since June 2021. Drivers say modern EVs can handle the winter conditions just fine.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Will heavy snow cover dampen Alaska’s fire season? Experts say don’t count on it.
Alaska fire officials brace for hotter, more intense fire seasons to come.
Alaska, United States

Positive tests for tick-borne illness in N.S. dogs up sharply, says vet
The number of dogs testing positive for tick-borne illnesses has nearly doubled this year, says a Nova Scotia veterinarian. Jeff Goodall, the owner and a veterinarian at Sunnyview Animal Care, said the problems go beyond Lyme disease. Anaplasmosis is also a concern. He said dogs have been testing positive for tick-borne illnesses throughout the winter.
Nova Scotia, Canada
CBC

What is Iceland's Energy Mix?
Historically of all stationary energy produced in Iceland, some 70% is hydroelectric and 30% is geothermal. In figures recently released on 2021 energy usage in Iceland, it has come to light that 63% of energy used in Iceland was produced by fossil fuel, 24% by nuclear power, and only 13% by renewable energy sources.
Iceland
Iceland Review

Flight disruptions continue Friday in Alaska as volcanic ash drifts from Russia
A long, thin cloud of ash began drifting toward the Aleutian Islands on Wednesday and continued east toward the Gulf of Alaska, where it caused major disturbances for air traffic starting Thursday. Volcanic ash is a danger to planes because it is abrasive and can cause engines to fail. Alaska Airlines canceled 51 flights that day, the company said in a statement. Alaska Airlines canceled 11 flights by 6 a.m. and said more are possible, with delays likely through the day.
Shiveluch Volcano
Anchorage Daily News

Ash from Russian Shiveluch Volcano cancels Alaska flights
Due to ash from the volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, Alaska Airlines canceled eight flights Wednesday between Anchorage and Western Alaska airports in Adak, Bethel, Dillingham and King Salmon.
Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Adaptive monitoring of the arctic fox in the Norwegian low Arctic
Arctic species are currently under multiple pressures and several are red-listed. Adaptive ecosystem-based monitoring and management applied to the critically endangered arctic fox in Finnmark, illustrates how such pressures can be uncovered and potentially mitigated.
Finnmark, Norway
The Independent Barents Observer

A Homer scientist is bringing changes in Arctic permafrost into high-resolution
With Arctic permafrost thaw rapidly outpacing projections, researchers are racing to understand the impacts of an increasingly unstable future.
Homer, Alaska, United States

Alaska gets $38M federal grant for climate-related housing disaster recovery
The State of Alaska recently received $38 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to ease the burden of climate change. The money was made available through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program. These funds are aimed at helping communities better rebound from presidentially declared disasters, but Salazar says the state will be allowed to allocate the new funds for preventative measures.

Y-K Delta women describe the realities of living with climate change for foreign dignitaries
The relocation between from Newtok to Mertavik has taken time and community members stay patient as local, state, and federal agencies figure out the complex funding and logistical hurdles.
Newtok, Alaska, United States

Hawaii's lawmakers mull imposing fees to pay for ecotourism crush
Taking care of Hawaii's unique natural environment takes time, people and money. Now Hawaii wants tourists to help pay for it.
Hawaii, United States

Alaska marine debris experts call for tighter regulation and more cleanup funding
Coordinating teams to collect and sort marine debris, plus shipping it to a landfill or recycling center is an expensive logistical nightmare as Alaska waters increase with marine debris.

Sea ice loss affects biodiversity, economy and travel safety, hunters and scientists say during a conference
"Siku" means sea ice in the Siberian Yup'ik language. But about a hundred other Yup'ik words describe different types of sea ice, including icebergs, floating pressure ice ridges, solid ice safe for travel — and "pequ," "an unsuitable area in ice field where the current causes ice to heave up or break up," Vera Metcalf said.
Alaska

Hunting, visual storytelling and loss: Utqiaġvik photographer speaks at the Arctic at youth panel
Story telling provides a powerful tool in a changing climate. Epen Hobson has been experiencing the land and ocean through the perspective of an Inuit photographer and hunter. A recipient of the Arctic Resilient Communities Fellowship he shares, "We're an oral people, we tell stories, we teach by telling stories," The effects of climate change are concrete and dramatic for the Arctic communities such as Utqiagvik, and Hopson is hungry to see infrastructure and policy solutions to address them.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Winter Travel, Access and Changing Snow and Ice Conditions
The Copper River Basin in Alaska has experienced less reliable snow and ice conditions in recent years, impacting winter activities such as trapping, hunting, and gathering firewood. This study, based on nine oral interviews with local residents, reveals that crossing rivers has become more treacherous and difficult, with significant changes in ice conditions observed since the 1970s. Decreased snowpacks and increased shrub growth have also posed obstacles for accessing winter trails, requiring individuals to cut through forests. These changes, combined with socio-economic and technological factors, have affected the way people engage in winter activities in the Copper River Basin. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of climate change's impact on winter activities in Alaska and the Circumpolar North.
Copper River Basin
Winter Travel, Access, and Changing Snow and Ice Conditions in Alaska’s Copper River Basin

Nunavut flips stance on caribou protection again, now supports development ban on calving grounds
The government of Nunavut has once again flipped its position on resource development on caribou calving grounds, now supporting a "prohibition of development within calving grounds and key access corridors, with seasonal restrictions on activities in post-calving grounds."
Nunavut, Canada

Native knowledge of great lakes ecology: Climate changes to Odawa lands
Climate change has been observed for hundreds of years by the plant specialists of three Odawa Tribes in the Upper Great Lakes along Lake Michigan. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is the focus of two National Park Service (NPS) studies of Odawa Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of plants, ecosystems, and climate change. Data collected during these studies contributed to developing Plant Gathering Agreements between tribes and parks. This analysis derived from 95 ethnographic interviews conducted by University of Arizona (UofA) anthropologists in partnership with tribal appointed representatives. Odawa people recognized in the park 288 plants and five habitats of traditional and contemporary concern. Tribal representatives explained that 115 of these traditional plants and all five habitats are known from multigenerational eyewitness accounts to have been impacted by climate change. The TEK study thus represents what Native people know about the environment. These research findings are neither intended to test their TEK nor the findings of Western science.
Glen Arbor, Michigan, United States
Frontiers

After the fatal polar bear attack in Wales, a collective approach to healing
Questions still linger about what caused the bear to kill a woman and her baby — but more important for Wales is the question of how to move on.
Wales, Alaska, United States

Cruise Ship Invasion
Take a typical Alaska cruise and see the damage in its wake. Waste-water disposal to on board garbage piles up leaking into the natural environment and local waste sites. Noise pollution from the ships impact whales and other species that rely on sounds for communication. Total visitors from the industry impact on small communities has pros and cons. The evidence is clear: the industry needs an overhaul.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Hakai Magazine

A Devastating Toxin Is Bubbling Up From the Permafrost
Trapped in all that permafrost is an estimated 30 billion tons of carbon. It’s an unfathomable amount, Kirkwood says. With global warming, the permafrost is thawing, threatening to release a “carbon bomb” of heat-trapping methane gas into the atmosphere. But there’s something else lurking in the permafrost that has the potential to be more immediately dangerous to the people and wildlife living in the area: mercury.
The Atlantic

Is it possible to improve winter biking in Canada? Finland shows the way
Oulu has more than 900 kilometres of separated bike paths, which is comparable to Montreal. In the winter, the city plows this huge bike network by 6 a.m. every day and will plow multiple times a day if needed.
Oulu, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland

Researchers struggle to find out if windmills scare reindeer
A video of the reindeer on the steps of the wind turbine has caused wonder. Aren't the animals intimidated by wind power anyway? Here are some reasons why it is so difficult to find clear facts and secure figures.
Tromsø, Troms, Norway

A decision looms on the Willow oil and gas project in Alaska's Arctic
Environmental and climate activists are rallying online against ConocoPhillips’ proposed Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden weighs whether to greenlight the controversial plan.
Nuiqsut, Alaska, United States
ArcticToday

Chugach State Park has been ‘loved to death.’ A ballot proposition aims to tackle longstanding problems
Amid an explosion in popularity, access points to the Chugach State Park are overwhelmed and underdeveloped, leading to a push for a new mechanism to handle chronic underfunding.
Chugach State Park

Residents of East Iceland told to be aware of ash eruption guidelines
In the last week, rapid ice melting on the crater lake (Öskjuvatn), usually frozen solid at this time of year, indicated significant geothermal energy being expended, and pointed to at least the increased possibility of an ash eruption at Askja.The police chief in East Iceland encourages people in the region to increase their awareness of a possible eruption of Askja and to familiarise themselves with instructions.
Askja
RÚV

Earthquakes last longer and feel stronger in parts of Interior Alaska, research finds
Researchers found that the seismic waves get amplified as they bounce back and forth off the sides and bottom of the sedimentary basin near Minto. So people in the flats perceive the earthquakes as bigger than they actually are and it’s all about the reverberation.
Minto, Alaska, United States

Subsistence in these days of climate change
There’s an old saying that captures the essence of subsistence harvesting: “When the tide is out, the table is set.” Clams, mussels and other food are available for the person. Climate change has impacted subsistence in the ocean and on the land. Community members share observations on changes.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

Old Tjikko stands on Fulufjellet, just a mile from the Norwegian border in Trysil
Old Tjikko is 9500 years old, one of the oldest fir tree in the world.
Trysil, Innlandet, Norway

No deer, no problem: Sea otters become main course for this Southeast Alaska wolf pack
The pack killed all the black-tailed deer on the island and another established pack back on the mainland was preventing their return. Scientists assumed they would die off from starvation.
Pleasant Island, Alaska, United States

Forestry violates its own environmental rules – retains the green certificate
Time and time again, they have cut down forests that should not have been cut, according to a review made by NRK. Yet no company has lost its sustainability stamp.
Norway

EPA stops Alaska's Pebble mine with rarely used power
The decision caps a decades-long battle over a region that is home to both the world’s largest wild salmon run and one of the world’s largest deposits of copper and gold.
Pebble Mine Proposed Site

Gov. Dunleavy says his carbon storage bills could bring Alaska ‘billions,’ but many unknowns remain
Dunleavy administration’s proposals, which could take years to implement, highlights economic gains for the state for carbon offset and sequestration programs.

Support

Observation Template