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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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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

Ukraine wheat harvest, exports to fall on drought: analyst
UkrAgroConsult on Tuesday cut its forecast for Ukraine's 2018/19 crop year wheat harvest and exports due to a severe drought across the country during spring and the first half of summer.
Київ, Київська, Ukraine
U.S.

A huge stretch of the Arctic Ocean is turning into the Atlantic
The divide between Atlantic and Arctic isn’t just geographical, it’s physical. And the physics are changing.
North Barents Sea
Anchorage Daily News

Global warming cooks up 'a different world' over 3 decades
Over 30 years the world’s annual temperature has warmed nearly 1 degree according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Salida, Colorado, United States
Lake Cowichan Gazette

As the Arctic warms, a changing landscape on the Chukchi Sea
It’s well established that Arctic ice is changing in dramatic ways. As the climate warms, ice coverage is decreasing, the amount of multiyear ice has gone down significantly and in
Barrow, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Winds of Change on the Mongolian Steppe
For centuries, nomads have herded livestock on the Mongolian steppe. Today, Mongolians are proud of their nomadic heritage, but globalisation and climate change are transforming the steppes and nomadic traditions. How Mongolia adapts to these new forces sweeping the steppes will determine the country’s future.
Harhorin, Övörhangay, Mongolia
Maptia

Climate change threatens hairy survivor of multiple ice ages
A scientific paper published recently hints at how increasing winter rainfall will affect the Arctic muskox. An N.W.T. biologist says winter rain isn't good for the mammal, but it's actually warmer summers that could prove detrimental.
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
Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

The High Latitude Marine Heat Wave of 2016 and its Impacts on Alaska
The warmth of the Bering Sea in 2016
was unprecedented in the historical record, and
the warmth of the GOA nearly so. The FAR values
Fig. 8.2. Normalized anomalies of (a) heat content and (b) SSTs for the present (black) and preindustrial (blue)
climate of the GOA (circle and plus) and Bering Sea (triangle and x) regions from the five model ensembles.
Anomalies exceeding 2016 value are in red (shapes as indicated), and the ensemble/region means are shown by
the solid lines. Mean probability distributions (%) of (c) heat content and (d) SSTs from the model ensembles;
solid (open) circles indicate present (preindustrial) climate for the GOA (blue) and Bering Sea (red). Spread
of individual models is shown by the smaller, corresponding open/closed circles. Dashed vertical lines show the
2016 anomalies: GOA (blue), Bering Sea (red).
AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 2018 | S43
based on an ensemble of five global climate models
indicate that the 2016 warm ocean anomalies cannot
be explained without anthropogenic climate warming,
although the region’s large internal variability
was also a contributing factor (Fig. 8.1 and online
supplement material). A strong El Niño with a positive
PDO (warm) phase, together with preconditioning
of the waters during 2014/15 and the anomalous
atmospheric circulation of early 2016, made for a
“perfect storm” of marine heating around Alaska.
Both anthropogenic forcing and internal variability
were necessary for the extreme warmth of the subarctic
seas. Our conclusions are consistent with and
extend previous findings concerning the 2014 warm
SST anomalies in the northeast Pacific (Weller et al.
2015). Additionally, the trajectory of the present climate
with RCP8.5 indicates that SST and HC extreme
anomalies like 2016 will become common in the
coming decades. Given the many impacts of the 2016
anomaly, the future climate projected here will result
in a profound shift for people, systems, and species
when such warm ocean temperatures become common
and not extreme in the GOA and Bering regions.
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
John E. Walsh, Richard L. Thoman, Uma S. Bhatt, Peter A. Bieniek, Brian Brettschneider, Michael Brubaker, Seth Danielson, Rick Lader, Florence Fetterer, Kris Holderied, Katrin Iken, Andy Mahoney, Moll

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

NOAA Is Investigating 70 Gray Whale Deaths Along the West Coast
The whales seem to have died from starvation and washed up on shore from California to Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Smithsonian

Effects of weather variability on maple syrup production studied
Some farmers in the United States and Canada have noticed that the quantity and quality of their maple syrup is changing with climate variability. Now researchers who are investigating these observations.
United States and Canada, Universal State Boundary, North America
ScienceDaily

Pushki making its presence felt on peninsula
A family trip in the Alaska wilderness can turn sour in a hurry if the proper precautions are not taken against the unassuming but dangerous plant known as “pushki.”
Seward, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

Mysterious ocean 'blob' could be behind warmer B.C. temperatures
If you're wondering why British Columbia experienced such a mild winter and early spring, you could maybe blame it on a mysterious "blob" of warm water in the Pacific Ocean.
British Columbia
CBC

Inundation, sedimentation, and subsidence creates goose habitat along the Arctic coast of Alaska
Since 1976, the distribution of molting Black Brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans ) on the Arctic Coastal Plain has shifted from inland freshwater lakes to coastal marshes, such as those occupying the Smith River and Garry Creek estuaries.
North Slope, Alaska, United States
Environmental Research Letters
Ken D Tape and Paul L Flint and Brandt W Meixell and Benjamin V Gaglioti

Ice Skating on Goodacre Lake - A Distant Memory
Ice skating on Goodacre Lake in Beacon Hill Park was a common winter pleasure in the past. Generations of Victorians glided under the Stone Bridge on natural ice and circled the islands in the moonlight.
Goodacre Lake, Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Beacon Hill Park History

Climate change – it’s about the people
Living conditions and economic development in the face of climate change are the challenges the Arctic Council needs to deal with. Resource development is important to the people.
Nuuk, Sermersooq, Greenland
Sermitsiaq.AG

In ‘brutal’ heat wave at U.S. Open, Daniil Medvedev warns that a player is ‘gonna die’
Medvedev used an inhaler during a second-set changeover Wednesday while being looked at by a doctor, who checked his breathing with a stethoscope.
New York City, New York, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Anchorage sees its snowiest November in at least 70 years
A squall that dropped barely an inch of snow Friday morning added just enough accumulation to make this the snowiest November in Anchorage since recordkeeping began in 1953.
The National Weather Service measured 1.1 inches at the agency’s Sand Lake offices between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., according to meteorologist Kristine Chen. That puts the total snow accumulation at 39.1 inches, narrowly surpassing the 1994 total of 38.8 inches, she said.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Thawing permafrost is full of ice-forming particles that could get into atmosphere
As atmospheric scientists, we found in a recent study that thawing permafrost contains lots of microscopic ice-nucleating particles. These particles make it easier for water droplets to freeze; and if the ones in permafrost get airborne, they could affect Arctic clouds.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
MSN

Girdwood faces high costs to repair aftermath of record-breaking storm, official says
The temporary repairs would consume about 60% of the town’s annual budget for contract work on roads, a Girdwood official said.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News look

Gusty winds caused 2023 crash that killed ‘Flying Wild Alaska’ pilot Jim Tweto and passenger, federal investigators say
The renowned bush pilot was making a trip he’d made many times when the Cessna 180 crashed near Shaktoolik in June 2023.
Shaktoolik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Exceptionally cold April brings frost every day
Ben Rich looks back at a month in which an air frost has been seen somewhere in the UK every single morning. In fact, provisional data from the Met Office suggests it has been the frostiest April for at least 60 years - with the lowest average minimum temperatures since 1922.
Windermere, England, United Kingdom
BBC

‘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

Microbes in Arctic Soils Are Primed to React to Climate Change
Arctic soil microbes in Svalbard are equipped with enzymes to degrade carbon compounds and can adapt to climate change, potentially affecting CO2 emissions feedback loops.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Energy.gov

Arctic research consortium closing down after Trump administration cuts funding
The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, established in 1988 and credited with helping scientists and Alaska communities, is closing this month.
Juneau, Alaska, United States

Arctic Cold Case: Thousands of mysterious animal deaths finally solved
Forty-two reindeer were found foraging among the skeletal remains of a herd on St. Matthew’s Island, a remote patch of Alaskan land in the Bering Sea. What makes it most puzzling is that only three years earlier, the same herd numbered 6,000 animals.
St. Matthew Island, Alaska, United States
Eye on the Arctic

Can hurricanes reach the Arctic?
Hurricanes form in the tropics, feeding on very warm ocean waters. As they track northward, they may transform to an extratropical storm with an added punch, sometimes reaching southern Greenland, Alaska, and even Arctic latitudes of the North Atlantic.
The Arctic
National Snow and Ice Data Center

Antarctic winter sea ice hits 'extreme' record low
Researchers warn the shift can have dire consequences for animals, like penguins, who breed and rear their young on the sea ice while also hastening global warming by reducing how much sunlight is reflected by white ice back into space.
Two Hummock Island
CBC

Dial it up to Category 6? As warming stokes storms, some want a bigger hurricane category
A handful of super powerful tropical cyclones in the last decade has a couple of experts proposing a new category of whopper hurricanes: Category 6.
Rebalse (Rancho Cervantes), Colima, Mexico
AP News

Still waiting on Merbok aid, Shaktoolik braces for fall storms
Shaktoolik, a village in Alaska, is still waiting for aid from FEMA to rebuild a protective berm that was destroyed by a typhoon, leaving the community vulnerable to storms and erosion.
Shaktoolik, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Haines disaster considered 200-500 year storm event
An assessment by geotechnical experts will need to be completed in order to know the stability of the slide and understand continuing risk.
Haines, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Winemakers getting bitter taste of climate change
As grape harvest time nears across Greece, winemakers are worried about the impact on output from a succession of extreme weather events.
Greece
eKathimerini.com

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
CBC

Food shipments arrive in Clyde River after reports of bare shelves
Several shipments of food made it into Clyde River, Nunavut, this week after delays due to weather. It's just the latest in a series of problems in the community that's been battered by weather since late January.
Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada

FEMA is making sweeping changes, but they’ve come too late for Typhoon Merbok survivors
Homes, fish camps, and destroyed subsistence gear that haven’t already been repaired or replaced still won’t qualify for individual assistance under new policies that take effect in March 2024.
Chevak, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Climate change worries Finland's young reindeer herders
Ida Wessman, 28, bought her family's herd of reindeer after her father passed away five years ago. "It's been going pretty well. With this industry you've got high points and low points," Wessman said, alluding to severe 2019-2020 weather that killed 15,000 of the animals.
Northern Finland
Yle Uutiset

Weak winds in the Pacific drove record-breaking 2019 summertime marine heat wave
Weakened wind patterns likely spurred the wave of extreme ocean heat that swept the North Pacific last summer, according to new research led by the University of Colorado Boulder and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. The marine heat wave, named the "Blob 2.0" after 2013's "Blob"; likely damaged marine ecosystems and hurt coastal fisheries. Waters off the U.S. West Coast were a record-breaking 4.5 degrees F (2.5 degrees C) above normal, the authors found.

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

State officials extend studded-tire removal deadline by 15 days
Most of Southcentral Alaska has seen near record-setting snowfall this winter. The state of Alaska extended its annual deadline for residents to swap out their studded winter tires by 15 days due to what they called “prolonged winter weather.”
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

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