Background Articles

Alaska is experiencing rapid environmental changes, including record-high temperatures, shrinking sea ice, increased wildfires, and unusual wildlife patterns, such as the decline of salmon and the rise of snow goose populations.

A new report reveals a rise in polar bears on land and dangerous travel conditions in Northwest Alaska due to climate change.

An aerial survey of the Kuskokwim River reveals widespread thin ice and large open holes, raising safety concerns for nearby communities.

Chukchi Sea polar bears show increased exposure to pathogens like canine distemper virus and Toxoplasma gondii, potentially due to changes in their diet and extended time on land.

People living in West Dawson are urging the Yukon government to do more to support them while they wait for the Yukon River to freeze over, and provide them with reliable access to emergency services.

The article emphasizes the importance of voting for climate-conscious leadership in the wake of unusual and severe flooding in an Arctic community during winter.

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 melting of polar ice sheets due to climate change is causing Earth's rotation to slow down and its axis to shift, potentially surpassing the moon's influence on these dynamics and affecting technologies like GPS.

Nome experienced a record-breaking influx of 1,800 cruise ship passengers from the MS Westerdam, enjoying a variety of local tours, cultural presentations, and the Berry Festival during their full-day port of call visit.

This region endured similar major floods in 1922, 1942 and 1957 though the current disaster was "extraordinary and all previous 'records' have been surpassed," she added.The Ural River flooded Russia's Orenburg region in particular, while the Ishim — which feeds the Siberian regions of Tyumen and Omsk, and northern Kazakhstan — also burst its banks.

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

Russia's objection to U.S. claims off Alaska highlights tensions in maritime relations and underscores the U.S. disadvantage in territorial disputes due to its non-ratification of the Law of the Sea treaty.

Canada's mild winter has caused the longest recent delay in opening the Arctic ice road, essential for diamond mine access and goods transport, highlighting climate change impacts on infrastructure.

Emergency measures are in place in Kotzebue after a failure in the Swan Lake Loop left 74 households without water, prompting local and state officials to declare an emergency and take action to provide services and repair infrastructure.

Arctic rivers are undergoing significant changes due to a warming climate, with increased precipitation and permafrost thaw leading to stronger flows and altered chemical compositions.

The Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub and the Native Village of Kotzebue deployed an under-ice oceanographic instrument to monitor ice thickness and snow depth at a site offshore of town.

Conservationists petition for federal protection of the rare Kigluaik buttercup, threatened by climate change and proposed mining activities.

NASA's PACE satellite, designed to study ocean biology in unprecedented detail, has been successfully launched to enhance understanding of Earth's changing climate and improve weather forecasting.

Idaho's Panhandle is experiencing near record-low snowpack levels, with persistent dry conditions and forecasts suggesting a continued negative impact on snowpack development.

A Dartmouth study reveals a significant decline in New England's snowpack, with many river basins losing over 10% per decade due to human-caused climate change.