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

The heatwave accelerates the melting: - An eye opener
Record-breaking temperatures are nothing new for Norwegian glaciers. If temperatures become warmer, more glaciers may disappear.
Stryn, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
NRK

Napakiak moves buildings threatened by erosion along Kuskokwim River
A city council member estimated the Western Alaska village has lost about 20 feet of riverbank since May.
Napakiak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Toxic Blue-Green Algae Is Taking Over Canada This Summer
Cities around Canada are urging swimmers to take caution as toxic blue-green algae warnings are in effect throughout the nation. This algae, if in contact with humans and pets, can be extremely harmful.
Canada
narcity.com

The dragonfly, Alaska’s state insect, is a nimble flying machine
The article discusses the unique dragonfly species in Alaska, including the lake darner and the treeline emerald, which thrive in cold climates and have a high prey capture success rate.
Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

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

Arctic waters are actually warmer than Great Lakes right now
Heading north this summer for a refreshing swim? If you're looking for the warm water, you might want to give the Great Lakes a pass and head straight to the Arctic.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States
The Weather Network

Homes near Akiak's eroded riverbank need to move, but some people choose to stay
Akiak lost a mile-long stretch of riverbank to erosion last month. Six houses are now within 100 feet of the riverbank and need to be moved as soon as possible, but some people don’t want to move.
Akiak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Glowing 'Blue Tears' in China's Seas are Incredibly Toxic and Growing
The glowing algae is suffocating sea life.
Matsu Islands, Taiwan, East China Sea
Live Science

Bullhead City, Arizona Was a Retiree Paradise. Then Came a Biblical Plague of Flies.
Environmentalists often decry the loss of species diversity in rivers that have been dammed. But while some species lose when we meddle with rivers, others win, sometimes in dramatic and ways.
Bullhead City, Arizona, United States
OneZero

Lethal Virus Confirmed in Canadian Turtle for 1st Time
The Ranavirus virus has been found in a turtle in Hamilton's Cootes Paradise wetland. It generally leads to organ failure and death within four weeks.
Cootes Paradise, Ontario, 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

Climate change threatens water supply
Warming trend means Arkansas River won't meet demand.
Pueblo, Colorado, United States
The Pueblo Chieftain

Melting ice is disrupting daily life in the Y-K Delta in the worst possible way
This spring has seen record-breaking warm temperatures across Alaska. In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the Kuskokwim River is melting early — with devastating consequences.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

A slippery slope: How climate change is reshaping the Arctic landscape
Increasing ground temperatures in the Arctic are indicators of global climate change, but until recently, areas of cold permafrost were thought to be relatively immune to severe impacts. A new study by Antoni Lewkowicz, a professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Ottawa and published in the journal Nature Communications, however, shows that areas of cold permafrost can be vulnerable to rising summer temperatures.
Aulavik National Park, Banks Island, Northwest Territories
Phys.org

100 months of temperature above normal in Svalbard
March becomes the hundredth month in a row with temperatures above normal. "It is unique and shows how fast climate change is happening in the Arctic," says climate scientist Ketil Isaksen at the Meteorological Institute (MET).
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Meteorologisk institutt

River ice and white hares: Signs of climate change in Finnish nature
The latest statistics on the mountain hare (or blue hare) population of Finland, for instance, show that the species' numbers are plummeting while the European (or brown) hare is thriving, especially in southern parts of the country.
Kuopio, Northern Savo, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Climate Change Bethel Pays the Price
The Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska is taking longer to freeze. Mark Leary, a volunteer for Bethel Search and Rescue, talks about what that means for winter transportation in the region.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

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

No more shinny? Thousands of lakes are losing their winter ice
If the trend of reduced ice on the world's lakes continues at its current pace, the Canadian tradition of shinny could become a thing of the past, according to new research.
Canada
CBC

Greenhouse gas emissions provide extreme warming in Svalbard
Greenhouse gas emissions provide extreme warming on Svalbard.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Miljodirektoratet

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

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

Expect more extreme hurricanes on the East Coast due to faster ice melts in Greenland, study says
A new study suggests Greenland ice has hit a new tipping point with unprecedented melting since the early 2000s — and this will have consequences for East Coast cities.
East Coast of Canada

Saugeen Ojibway Nation confronts effects of climate change on whitefish fishery
The fishing communities of Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash are finding higher winds and warmer temperatures are affecting populations of lake whitefish in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, which many rely on for their livelihoods.
Lake Huron / Georgian Bay

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

British Columbia chinook salmon populations in decline
Only one, located in British Columbia's Thompson River, is considered stable.
Southern British Columbia, Canada
Global News

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

Lake Erie algal blooms 'seeded' internally by overwintering cells in lake-bottom sediments
Western Lake Erie's annual summer algal blooms are triggered, at least in part, by cyanobacteria cells that survive the winter in lake-bottom sediments, then emerge in the spring to "seed" the next year's bloom, according to a research team led by University of Michigan scientists.
Western Lake Erie, United States
Phys.org

Climate change threatens the kittiwake – extreme weather and altered prey availability reduce recruitment
Bad weather is bad news, also for the red-listed kittiwake. New research reveals that wind conditions combined with the availability of different prey species are determinants of chick production in this seabird.
Myre, Nordland, Norway
SEAPOP, Norwegian institute for nature research

Yukon considers ice boom to help form Dawson ice bridge this winter
Researchers from the National Research Council Canada investigated why the Yukon River didnt freeze at the George Black ferry crossing, where the ice bridge is usually built, for the last two winters.
Dawson, Yukon, Canada

This Stretch of Water Is Losing Oxygen Faster Than Almost Anywhere Else in The Ocean
A new study links rapid deoxygenation in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to two powerful currents: the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current.
Gulf of St. Lawrence
ScienceAlert

Gulf of St. Lawrence shows a dramatic oxygen decline
The Gulf of St. Lawrence has warmed and lost oxygen faster than almost anywhere else in the global oceans due to large-scale climate change, raising the possibility the Gulf could soon be unable to support marine life, according to a new study.
Gulf of St. Lawrence
Digital Journal

Changements climatiques: la forêt boréale va fructifier, puis décliner
Climate change: the boreal forest will grow, then decline: The acceleration of growth will be fueled by warming in the north of the boreal forest, while the south (Abitibi, Lac-Saint-Jean, Gaspésie) will suffer from a lack of water.
Quebec, Canada
Le Devoir

The Kerala Floods
Since 2018, Kerala has faced increasingly severe and frequent floods, a stark contrast to its historical rarity, driven by factors like Indian Ocean warming and local environmental changes, underscoring a global trend of climate-driven extremes and the urgent need for improved flood management and climate adaptation.
Arukutti, Kerala, India

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

Biologists survey invasive crawfish in Kodiak Island lake
A team of biologists is surveying a lake on Kodiak Island for crawfish, an invasive species in Alaska that has been observed in higher frequency over past several years.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Toxic algae blooms spike in Upstate NY this week
Sixteen water bodies were added to this week's list.
Upstate New York, United States
syracuse.com

90 percent of Lake Okeechobee smothered in blue-green algae bloom
EUMETSAT satellite shows blue-green algae bloom covering Lake Okeechobee.
Lake Okeechobee, Florida, United States
TCPalm

Harmful algae blooms found across Central Montana
Harmful algae blooms are something Montana has to worry about every summer, and now there have been a couple places in central and western Montana confirmed to have the harmful blue green algae. T...
Central and Western Montana, United States
Fox Montana

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

How to Stop Toxic Algae From Overwhelming Florida's Largest Lake
Blue-green algae has bloomed again in Lake Okeechobee, filling waterways with putrid sludge that can contaminate local water and marine animals.
Lake Okeechobee, Florida, United States
Pacific Standard

Feel like a swim? Here’s the lowdown on Anchorage lakes
Water quality in Anchorage's lakes is generally good, but swimmer's itch is a risk.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

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

Researchers see 'very reassuring' early results in N.W.T. contaminants study
The initial results represent 330 participants from six communities. Around 98 per cent of participants had mercury levels below the health guidance value - a baseline to assess health risks.
Kakisa, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC News

Insurers say Canadian weather getting hotter, wetter and weirder
Average number of days with heavy rain or snow across Canada has been outside norm since spring 2013
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Beavers Emerge as Agents of Arctic Destruction
Climate change may be enabling beavers to move deeper into the Arctic. And as they move, they magnify climate change’s effects.
Noatak, Alaska, United States
New York Times

Study: ‘Unprecedented’ rain, warmth for Alaska by end of century
Climate warming is likely to bring more episodes of heavy rain, above-freezing winter thaws and scorching hot summer days in the coming decades, says a study by scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Only 1,123 adult winter Chinook salmon returned to Sacramento River in 2017
Only 1,123 adult winter Chinook salmon, once one of the biggest salmon runs on the Sacramento River and its tributaries, returned to the Sacramento Valley in 2017, according to a report sent to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) by the...
Livingston Stone Fish Hatchery
Daily Kos

Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak Starts Crayfish Monitoring Program
In August 2017, Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak was awarded funding by USFWS Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) Program. The two-year project, titled “Distribution, Movement and Diet of Invasive Crayfish Populations in Buskin River Watershed on Kodiak Island, Alaska” focuses on characterizing the distribution (snorkel/scuba diving surveys), movement (radio tagging) and diet (stable isotope analyses) of the Signal Crayfish population within Buskin Watershed.
Bushkin Lake, Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Sunaq.org

Work begins on $1M trench to stave off Matanuska River erosion
The 500-foot, rock-filled trench won't be as long as experts advise and wasn't engineered to protect private property.
Butte, Alaska, United States

Crawdad pie, anyone? In Kodiak, an invasive species proliferates
There's somewhat of a slow motion invasion of a fresh water crustacean happening in Buskin River and Buskin Lake. It has a hard shell, two claws and tastes great in pies.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

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

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

'Sensitive clay' behind massive northern Quebec landslide
IThe Great Whale River landslide, which happened about eight kilometres upstream from the Cree and Inuit villages of Whapmagoostui and Kuujjuarapik, was too far south to be caused by melting permafrost, and too deep to be caused by variations in the climate, says a landslide expert.
Whapmagoostui, Quebec, Canada

Nunavut sees 5-year high for water advisories in 2021
Nunavut communities have seen a five-year high of water advisories in 2021, without counting Iqaluit’s ongoing water emergency. As of Friday, about a month before the year’s end, 14 water advisories had been issued in seven communities outside of the capital city this year, more than tripling the four advisories issued in 2017.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
ArcticToday

Tuluksak Will Lose Only Source Of Running Water During Breakup
For the residents of Tuluksak, breakup means that they will once again be losing their source of running water.
Tuluksak, Alaska, United States
KYUK

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

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

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

Finnish fisherwoman turns to driving taxi due to climate change
Due to anticipated continued increased temperatures, Finland's inland fishing problems are likely to continue.
Kajaani, Kainuu, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Great Salt Lake is shrinking fast. Scientists demand action before it becomes a toxic dustbin
Great Salt Lake is also known as America's Dead Sea -- owing to a likeness to its much smaller Middle Eastern counterpart -- but scientists worry the moniker could soon take new meaning.
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
CNN

In 'momentous' act, regulators approve demolition of four Klamath River dams
Federal regulators have approved a plan to demolish four Klamath River dams, a historic act that is intended to save imperiled salmon. “The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Yurok Tribe Chairman Joseph James said in a statement. “The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of time.”
Klamath, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

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

Alaska’s most prominent permafrost cliff is one of a kind
Called yedomas in Russia, the mounds of land are much more populous there.
Itkillik River

AFN delegates push for measures to decrease salmon bycatch
Two resolutions brought before the Alaska Federation of Natives during this year’s annual convention called for efforts to reduce salmon bycatch for fish that return to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.
Eagle, Alaska, United States
KDLG

An Anchorage man spent more than a decade planning and building a micro-hydropower project in his backyard. Now, it can power more than 300 homes.
“This sort of became my purpose in life, to make something for my children and for humanity going forward,” said Dave Brailey, the mastermind behind the Juniper Creek Hydroelectric Project.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States

Climate change threatening Indigenous ways of life
Cecelia Brooks remembers a time when the deep forest of New Brunswick was so cold, snow could still be found in its depths in August. That rarely happens anymore. Brooks, who lives on St. Mary's First Nation in Fredericton, is one of many Indigenous people in the Wabanaki region who say climate change is threatening traditional plants and medicines. Those changes, Brooks says, could alter their way of life.
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

Observed Evidence of Changing Forests:Testimonial for the Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report
The Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program is publishing a report called the Status of Tribes and Climate C...
Spokane, Washington, United States
YouTube

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

Lake Superior Summer: Blue-green algal blooms come to a lake once believed immune
As the deepest and most northern of the Great Lakes, Superior was once thought immune to algal blooms, which is why it was such a shock when the first report of blue-green algae came in 2012.
Lake Superior
Great Lakes Now

‘The economy of the Lower Yukon is gone’
Second of three parts: As salmon stocks have crashed on the Yukon River, so has a key source of income in fish-dependent communities.
Emmonak, Alaska, United States

Arctic Lakes Are Disappearing Fast, and Scientists Are Just Figuring Out Why
Recently, however, scientists have observed not just shrinking lakes but lakes that have completely gone away. A paper published this year in Nature Climate Change, based on satellite imagery, found widespread lake loss across the Arctic over the past 20 years.
Arctic Alaska
Scientific American

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

There's a crisis in the Yukon River
When Jody Potts-Joseph was growing up, her family mushed sled dogs during the harsh Alaskan winters to hunt and trap, feeding them salmon caught from the Yukon River by the thousands. But after rebuilding her sled dog team as an adult, Potts-Joseph, a member of the Han Gwich'in tribe, had to turn to store-bought dog food. The river that was once renowned for its salmon doesn't have enough to offer anymore.
Eagle, Alaska, United States
Yahoo News

Several drownings reported during Northwest heat wave
Several people have drowned or been reported missing after swimming in Pacific Northwest bodies of water during the record-breaking heat wave in the past few days.
Bellingham, Washington, United States
Bellingham Herald

New wave of Kenai Peninsula fishery closures takes effect
State officials said that king salmon runs are not showing signs of improvement and that conservative measures are needed to ensure future fishing opportunities.
Kenai, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

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

Bad weather hampers military efforts to purify Iqaluit river water
Task Force Iqaluit is making plans to move its water purification operation indoors, after a winter storm knocked down the tent housing its purifying system. Meanwhile, city staff are being redeployed due to the crisis, leading to some cuts to recreation services.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

What happens when the ice disappears?
Lake Superior is warming faster than any of the Great Lakes, with impacts on ice fishing, wildlife and Indigenous ways of life
Lake Superior / *Gitchigumi*
The Narwhal

Support

Observation Template