Background Articles

Unusually large amounts of sea ice have brought more polar bears from Northeast to South Greenland, with many unable to return due to currents.

The unusually hot summer weather in the Moscow region this year may trigger an increase in populations of invertebrate species, the regional Environmental Ministry said this week.

ADF&G has confirmed the spread of the invasive European green crab in Alaska, urging increased monitoring and public awareness to mitigate its destructive impact on local ecosystems.

A potential rat sighting on St. Paul Island, which has maintained a rat-free status for over two decades, prompts urgent conservation efforts to protect local seabirds and wildlife.

An increase in chum salmon in the Canadian Arctic, potentially linked to climate change, may be the same fish missing from Western Alaska, raising ecological concerns.

Sea ice loss, warming waters and the northward expansion of fish species like pollock are all contributing to a pattern in the Bering Strait region known as “borealization.” That means the Arctic ecosystem is becoming more like the boreal region to the south.

Beavers are transforming Alaska's Arctic tundra, creating both challenges for local communities and ecological opportunities, as their population and dam-building activities alter landscapes and affect permafrost.

Alaska experts are grappling with the challenge of controlling the highly invasive Japanese knotweed, which is resistant to conventional eradication methods and threatens local ecosystems.

Geneviève Degré-Timmons, a PhD candidate, is studying why caribou use burned lands and when they stop using them, and has created a painting to represent the cycle of the boreal forest and caribou interactions within it.

The Okanagan Basin Water Board is proposing a temporary ban on out-of-province boats entering British Columbia's waterways to prevent the introduction of invasive mussels that could cause significant harm to the ecosystem and cost the province millions of dollars annually.

Chum salmon spawning in the Arctic may provide food for native fish species, helping them survive in the biologically unproductive waters, as scientists study the changing ecology of the region due to warming temperatures.

Most of the humpbacks were seen near the Inupiat village of Point Hope, indicating a feeding hotspot in that area. While sightings farther north have been less numerous, there has still been an increase in recent years. The study suggests that climate change and the reduction of Arctic sea ice may be a factor in the expansion of humpback whale range.