Background Articles

The paucity of common resident avian species, especially songbirds, was one more peculiar element of an unusually strange Anchorage winter. And, arguably, early spring. Local birders, biologists and watchers all noticed something was off.

Better knowledge and mapping of existing infrastructure is leading to a new estimate of future thaw costs under varying climate scenarios.

The Knik Tribe's monitoring program for paralytic shellfish poisoning was paused in April as the federal government investigates its legitimacy for funding.

According to an internal budget document, the Trump administration is seeking to end nearly all of NOAA's climate research.

A young wolverine found in a shed in downtown Turku in January was still exceptional. “Wolverines occasionally wander around southwestern Finland. However, the population is concentrated in the east, where conditions are more peaceful,” said Pinja-Emilia Lämsä, a doctoral researcher at Aalto University.

Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and the Prague Zoo director agreed on a project to reintroduce Przewalski’s horses to the Numrug Strictly Protected Area in Dornod aimag, building on three decades of conservation cooperation.

Birds are rapidly vanishing from North America, with dramatic population losses in places that were once thought safe.

The Kuskokwim River breakup has reached Sleetmute and Red Devil more than 200 miles downstream in five days—about five days ahead of schedule—with low flooding potential reported for middle-river communities.

On the last Sunday in April, I received a brief but exciting message. “Frogs are singing,” Barbara Carlson notified me.

The Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council and the Pacific Flyway Council have closed harvesting and egging of Emperor geese and restricted egging of Black Brant geese for the 2025 hunting season due to declining populations.

Sea ice in Nunatsiavut is forming later and melting sooner, disrupting Inuit travel, hunting and culture; the SmartICE program combines technology and traditional knowledge to help communities adapt.

An expert warns that early snowmelt and increasing ski tourism in vulnerable high‑altitude calving areas on Hardangervidda and Nordfjella are disturbing Norway’s wild reindeer during their critical breeding season.

We have a lot of phenological events, but how much snow and when it falls are not part of that scheme. If you did not mulch last fall, you are going to lose some and maybe many of your perennials.

Thunderstorms are rare in the cold, dry Arctic, but a surprising event in August 2019 has scientists rethinking how these storms form in polar regions. A team of researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China has uncovered new insights into this phenomenon.

Thunderstorms are rare in the cold, dry Arctic, but a surprising event in August 2019 has scientists rethinking how these storms form in polar regions. A team of researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China has uncovered new insights into this phenomenon.

Highland Council is consulting on water activity restrictions at Loch Ruthven after a dramatic decline in the breeding Slavonian grebe population was recorded.

A new study reports that Atlantic salmon exposed to the anti-anxiety drug clobazam during migration became bolder, passing through hydropower dams faster, though this behavior might increase predation risk later.

Ned Rozell’s article explores the vast, geologically intriguing Minto Flats near the village of Minto in Alaska, detailing its unusual gravitational characteristics, seismic history, and significance as a prime waterfowl habitat.

Residents of Baker Lake remain under a boil‑water advisory after 96 litres of heating fuel spilled near the community’s water intake, prompting increased sampling and monitoring.

A warm March has triggered an early spring bloom in Finland with wood anemone and common hepatica appearing ahead of their usual schedule.