Background Articles

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.

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.

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.

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.

A new study finds that polar bears in Svalbard are beginning to leave their dens with cubs one week earlier than before 2016, a trend that may be linked to climate change and the resulting loss of sea ice.

British Columbia’s March snowpack averaged just 79 percent of normal, up from 63 percent a year ago but still low enough to raise the province’s drought risk for spring and summer.

The study, conducted by Canadian and Norwegian scientists, highlights that in the last decade, polar bears have on average started leaving their dens with cubs one week earlier than was recorded before 2016.

A recent report highlights the unprecedented low snowfall during the 2024-2025 winter in Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska, affecting not only the weather but also events like the Iditarod race.

April was 1–2 °C warmer than the 1991–2020 average in Finland, with a high of 22.9 °C in Rauma and a low of –23.8 °C in Kilpisjärvi. Sunshine was above average, while southern areas and Lapland saw increased rainfall.