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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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Pollution on the Liffey: Algal blooms at Blessington a threat to Dublin’s drinking water
Algal blooms in the Liffey River threaten Dublin's drinking water due to pollution and climate change, raising concerns about the safety of fish and the future impact on water treatment.
Valleymount, Leinster, Ireland
The Irish Times

Efforts underway to save salmon trapped in B.C. lake due to drought
More than 80 per cent of B.C.'s water basins are experiencing level 4 or 5 drought conditions, with salmon in many parts of the province struggling to make it to their spawning grounds.
Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Teller may move to higher ground
Teller is considering moving to a new subdivision site to avoid flood zones and eventually connect to water and sewer systems, with the project estimated to be completed by summer 2025.
Teller, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Can I safely eat the strawberries I picked?
"I am concerned about high levels of PFAS contamination in the drinking water?"
Cold Bay, Alaska, United States
Nadine Kochuten, Sarah Yoder, Brian Berube, Christy McDonald, Karen Pletnikoff, Bailey Richards

This famous Rocky Mountain glacier is dying, say scientists, warning us of what’s to come
Scientists have tracked the fate of the Peyto Glacier in the Rocky Mountains for decades as a global reference point. It’s disappearing faster than expected, which is a warning sign for communities downstream that depend on its water.
Banff, Alberta, Canada

83,000 Hawaii homes dispose of sewage in cesspools. Rising sea levels will make the mess worse.
This rural part of the island of Oahu is not connected to city sewers — and waste from toilets, sinks and showers is mostly collected in hundreds of pits called cesspools. Rising seas are also pushing groundwater closer to the surface, allowing cesspool effluent to mix with the water table and flow into the ocean.
Waialua, Hawaii, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Heat waves like the one that's killed 14 in the southern US are becoming more frequent and enduring
Heat waves like the one that engulfed parts of parts of the South and Midwest and killed more than a dozen people are becoming more common.
Southern States, United States
Washington Post

More than half of the world's largest lakes are shrinking. Here's why that matters
Researchers found the global decline in water storage was equivalent to 17 Lake Meads — the largest reservoir in the U.S.
Lake Mead, Nevada
KTOO

Unalakleet mayor says work on water system to begin this summer
State officials say Unalakleet will see work to improve conditions on its water system in the near future.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Water crisis in Catalonia
The region of Catalonia, northeastern Spain, is in its worst drought since measurements began. The sheep reservoir supplies water to the city of Barcelona.
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
NRK

California's 'phantom lake' returns with a vengeance, unearthing a bitter history of water
The 'phantom' Tulare Lake once the biggest lake west of the Mississippi and drained for agriculture purposes is slowly reemerging.
Stratford, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

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

Snow is as high as ski lifts in California as drought abates
More than 700 inches of snow have fallen at Mammoth Mountain, almost burying entire houses and setting new record for snowfall. The snowfall in the Sierra Nevada range will help mitigate drought conditions in coming years.
Dollar Point, California, United States
Washington Post

'Whole hell of a lot of water up there': This map shows the Sierra snowpack's record levels
Atmospheric river boosted California's snowpack, especially in Central and Southern Sierra. Now the levels are record level creating safety issues such as roofs collapsing and helping with drought conditions across the western states.
Sierra Nevada, California, United States
San Francisco Chronicle

Blizzard batters Northwest Alaska, causing infrastructure problems
In addition to blizzard conditions, Kotzebue residents have been experiencing power outages, water service interruptions and travel complications because of the storms.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

In northernmost Alaska, a battle is on to limit the damages of permafrost thaw
Warming soils beneath Utqiagvik are triggering erosion that threatens homes, infrastructure and cultural resources. The North Slope has seen some of the fastest changes in coastal erosion in the nation.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
KTOO

An Unmistakable Stain in America’s Most Pristine Rivers
Dozens of once crystal-clear streams and rivers in Arctic Alaska are now running bright orange and cloudy, and, in some cases, they may be becoming more acidic. This otherwise undeveloped landscape now looks as if an industrial mine has been in operation for decades, and scientists want to know why.
Noatak River
The Atlantic

Expanding beaver pond distribution in Arctic Alaska, 1949 to 2019
Beavers were not previously recognized as an Arctic species, and their engineering in the tundra is considered negligible. Recent findings suggest that beavers have moved into Arctic tundra regions and are controlling surface water dynamics, which strongly influence permafrost and landscape stability. Here we use 70 years of satellite images and aerial photography to show the scale and magnitude of northwestward beaver expansion in Alaska, indicated by the construction of over 10,000 beaver ponds in the Arctic tundra. The number of beaver ponds doubled in most areas between ~ 2003 and ~ 2017. Earlier stages of beaver engineering are evident in ~ 1980 imagery, and there is no evidence of beaver engineering in ~ 1952 imagery, consistent with observations from Indigenous communities describing the influx of beavers over the period. Rapidly expanding beaver engineering has created a tundra disturbance regime that appears to be thawing permafrost and exacerbating the effects of climate change.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
Nature

West megadrought worsens to driest in at least 1,200 years
By Seth Borenstein | The Associated Press FILE - A kayaker paddles in Lake Oroville as water levels remain low due to continuing drought conditions in
Sacramento, California, United States
The Sacramento Observer

As Caucasian Glaciers Melt, Locals Face the Future With Stoicism
Caucasian glaciers have lost a quarter of their surface area to climate change since the millennium. “We don’t have winters here anymore,” said Sergei Nureddinov, a guest house owner in the mountaintop village of Verkhniy Kani, gesturing to the glacier from his front yard. “The climate catastrophe is here.”
Кармадонское, Пригородный район, North Ossetia-Alania, Russia
The Moscow Times

Confused about the timeline for the Red Hill fuel storage facility and contaminated water? Read this.
This article details the history and environmental concerns surrounding the Red Hill fuel storage facility, including a significant fuel leak and ongoing debates over its operation and oversight.
Pearl City, Hawaii, United States
Hawai'i Public Radio

In Iraq's famed marshlands, climate change is upending a way of life
Drought and extreme heat that scientists link to climate change are altering the UNESCO-protected marshlands. Iraq's average annual temperatures are increasing at nearly double the rate of Earth's.
الجبيش, Dhi Qar, Iraq
NPR.org

Canadian military sets up water purification units for Iqaluit at the Sylvia Grinnell River
The Canadian Armed Forces has begun setting up two water purification units at the Sylvia Grinnell River on Monday morning to help Nunavut’s capital with its ongoing water emergency. The military had been waiting for the City of Iqaluit’s approval before setting up the units. The two parties agreed on the location Sunday night, said
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
ArcticToday

Pak farmers protest against water shortage
A large number of farmers on Saturday staged a protest march against the acute shortage of water at Dadu district located in Pakistan Sindh province located in Pakistan's Sindh province.
Islamabad, Islāmābād, Pakistan
Big News Network.com

Colorado River, Lifeline Of The West, Sees Historic Water Shortage Declaration
The first-ever shortage declaration on the Colorado River forces arid Western states to re-examine their relationship with resources many take for granted, drinking water and cheap hydroelectricity.
Colorado, United States
NPR.org

Permafrost degradation affects hydrological factors in source area of Yellow River
Climate warming has accelerated the permafrost degradation, which influences the processes of water supply, runoff and discharge in the Source Area of the Yellow River (SAYR) in the northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Phys.Org

‘How Can We Survive When the Land Is Gone?’ In Dagestan, a Proud People Fights the Desert
For 30 years now, climate change has been driving the sands further into the Nogai steppe, gradually transforming the traditional homeland of a the people that once dominated much of southern Russia from green and pleasant pasture to barren desert.
Terekli-Mekteb, Dagestan, Russia
The Moscow Times

Climate change is worsening water scarcity in rural Alaska says study
Climate change is worsening water scarcity in rural Alaska and a host of new strategies is needed to help address the issue says a recent study.
Alaska
Eye on the Arctic

– Me er ein kommune i kneståande som har ein lang veg opp
Barnehage, sjukeheim, rådhus, legesenter, barneskule, vass- og avløpssystem, eit bustadfelt og ei av hovudfartsårene inn til Gjerdrum er sett ut av spel.
Ask, Akershus, Norway
NRK

City of Iqaluit approves $64M plan to build new reservoir
Newspaper of record for Nunavut, and the Nunavik territory of Quebec
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
Nunatsiaq 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

A large waste depository is being reclaimed in the Russian Arctic
In the Murmansk region, the reclamation of a large waste storage facility for the former Snezhnaya poultry farm, which ceased to exist about 15 years ago, has begun. The total cost of the project is over 461 million rubles.
Murmansk, Murmansk, Russia
Russian newspaper

In Colorado’s climate change hot spot, the West’s water is evaporating
The largest part of the continental United States to warm more than 2 degrees Celsius since 1895 feeds the Colorado River.
Grand Valley, Colorado, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Who pours fuel into Baikal? We're going to ask an expert
Maksim Tokarev, the head of the Save Baikal project, told Sputnik radio about new initiatives aimed at maintaining the cleanliness of the lake.
Байкал, Irkutsk, Russia
Радио Sputnik

Explosion of beavers on the Baldwin Peninsula is part of their march north of the Arctic Circle
How the beavers got to the Baldwin Peninsula, which is surrounded by salt water and extends north of the Arctic Circle, is anyone’s guess.
Selawik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Monitoring water quality after wildfires
The first storm of the season not only tamped down the fire, it also began the process of flushing an unknown mixture of metals, toxic organic compounds, and other chemicals from the air, ash, and debris into the region’s creeks and rivers.
Paradise, California, United States
Chemical & Engineering News

Metlakatla, which depends on water, has moved quickly to accommodate the realities of drought
Following a season of drought, the Southeast Alaska community of Metlakatla is navigating a different relationship with water, like a number of other places in the region.
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Iqaluit water reservoir is almost full, just in time for winter
An emergency project to pump water from Unnamed Lake started in mid-August, and has been successful. The city's reservoir at Lake Geraldine is projected to be filled ten days ahead of schedule.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

California Sinking
For more than a century farmers in California's Central Valley have been pumping water out of the ground — so much so that the land is slowly sinking, a process known as subsidence. In fewer than 100 years, it's dropped 8½ metres.
Corcoran, California, United States
CBC

Canada's Pollution Problem Is So Bad That It's Currently Raining Plastic
Microplastics from the breakdown of plastics and from microbeads used in toothpaste and exfoliants, are so small, they are able to travel in the atmosphere.
Canada

This summer is on track to be the driest on record for Southcentral Alaska
The region has seen less than an inch of rainfall since June 1 and no measurable rain at all during August, putting it on track to beat a 50-year record.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Alaska records warmest month ever in July with coastline barren of sea ice
Average temperature for month amid Arctic heatwave was 58.1F (14.5C), nearly 1F above previous high set in July 2004
Alaska, United States
the Guardian

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

Southeast's rare drought could threaten plants, animals, your power bill
The entirety of Southeast Alaska is in some state of drought.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

California sees biggest June snowpack in nearly a decade thanks to spring storms
A series of spring storms has kept the snowpack — a key source of the state’s water supply — at its highest level for early June since 2011.
Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, United States
latimes.com

The Wettest Part of Alaska Is Experiencing Extreme Drought. Is Climate Change to Blame?
The drought has had damaging economic and ecological impacts.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
Pacific Standard

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

One year of temperature above normal in Norway
The average temperature for the entire country was 1.2 degrees above normal in March. It is thus the twelfth month in a row that the temperature in Norway has been above normal.
Norway
Meteorologisk institutt

State to close site of popular water pipe on Seward Highway
Officials cited rockfall danger and traffic hazards created by people stopping to fill containers.
Knik, Alaska, United States

Grass crops in Eastern Norway halved in 2018
Last year's drought summer resulted in halved grass crops in Eastern Norway compared to the previous year, according to recent figures from Statistics Norway. - The consequences of the drought continue to affect the daily lives of many farmers, says Lars Petter Bartnes, leader of the Norwegian Farmers' Union.
Akershus, Norway
Norges Bondelag

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

Decade of heavy storms has helped Northwest glaciers, but don’t expect that to last, studies show
Glaciers in western North America over the past 18 years have lost some 117 gigatons of ice — enough that if it was melted and spread across the state of Washington it would come up our knees, said David Shean, co-author of a recent study cataloging glacial loss.
My Rainier

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

Mother had 'no other choice' but to sell her 6-year-old daughter
An unprecedented drought in Afghanistan has led to families selling their children just to be able to feed their households.
هرات, Hirat, Afghanistan
CNN
Nick Paton Walsh and Masoud Popalzai, CNN

Switzerland is rapidly losing its snow (and climate change is probably to blame)
A new study based on analysis of satellite images shows how much snow cover Switzerland has lost in the last 20 years. Losing all the glaciers in Switzerland is not that far away.
Switzerland
The Local Switzerland

As Climate Warms, Algae Blooms In Drinking Water Supplies
Algae isn't just causing swimmers' itch anymore; it's threatening water supplies. State regulations are starting to address it.
Salem, Oregon, United States
NPR.org

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

Relocated beavers help restore Mongolia river habitat
In Gachuurt Village in Bayanzurkh district, beavers are being introduced to restore the headwaters of the Tuul River, the main drinking water source of the capital city, Ulaanbaatar.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
MONTSAME News Agency

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

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

Stressed Crops in Ukraine and Russia
Under the one-two punch of a dry fall and a frigid winter, winter crops in Ukraine were in poor condition in April and May 2006. This vegetation anomaly (difference from normal) image was created from data collected by MODIS. Widespread brown indicates that plants throughout the region had grown less compared to the average growth for 2000-2005. The Foreign Agricultural Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, estimated that only 10 metric tons of winter wheat, the primary crop growing here, would be harvested in July and August. That figure was down about 46 percent from the 18.7 metric tons harvested in 2005.
Київ, Київська, Ukraine
NASA Earth Observatory

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

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.
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

Get checked, Nunavut top doc tells Iqaluit residents complaining of skin issues amid water crisis
Nunavut's chief public health officer says Iqaluit residents complaining about skin irritations should get checked out by their doctors, but so far, Dr. Michael Patterson said he hasn't heard of any formal diagnoses.

‘Some days we eat grass’: families on the edge in Afghanistan’s food crisis – in pictures
Drought, economic collapse and soaring food prices have pushed millions into hunger. Cash aid from the Disasters Emergency Committee is helping families feed their children and send them back to school
Afghanistan
the Guardian

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

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

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

As effort to restore Eklutna River inches toward decision, disagreements remain over how far plan should go
Disagreements persist over the extent of the restoration plan for the Eklutna River in Alaska, with utilities arguing that a replacement dam would be costly and increase electric rates, while proponents of the plan believe it would benefit the public interest by boosting local fishing and tourism and improving the ecosystem.
Eklutna, Alaska, United States

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.

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