Background Articles

The warming of the Arctic has caused a significant shift in the ecosystem of Great Slave Lake, with smaller diatoms replacing larger ones, potentially impacting the lake's productivity, carbon dynamics, food web, and nearby communities.

Amid declining salmon runs, Coastal Villages Region Fund has shifted away from subsidizing village-based seafood processing. Coastal Villages used to pursue that mission in large part by operating smaller commercial fisheries for salmon and halibut. Each year, the fishing season was an opportunity to earn wages at the group’s processing facilities or for local fishermen to earn cash selling their catch — an economic lifeline for many families in one of the state’s poorest regions.

The North Atlantic right whale population in Canada has stabilized, with no reported deaths since 2019, but there are still concerns about entanglements and low birth rates.

New research off Cape Breton reveals that female pilot whales are the most frequent leaders during dives, often leading from the left or right flank, which could provide insights into mass strandings and help guide whales out of stranding situations more efficiently.

The global surge of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has led to significant outbreaks and the need for vigilant surveillance and proactive measures to manage and mitigate future outbreaks.

The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that lead emissions from small planes pose a threat to public health, potentially leading to the agency's first-ever limits on lead fuel in aviation.

Chum salmon spawning in the Arctic may provide food for native fish species, helping them survive in the biologically unproductive waters, as scientists study the changing ecology of the region due to warming temperatures.

Several bird species in the forest in Stord, Vestland, Norway are experiencing a significant decline, as indicated by the Raudlista 2021 report. Since 1980, 600 million birds in Europe have disappeared..

A new study suggests that more than 75% of Earth's near-surface permafrost will be gone by the end of the century, leading to major implications for cold-climate regions like Alaska where permafrost covers the majority of the state and thawing is already well underway, resulting in sinking and unstable infrastructure and significant costs for adaptation.

Many municipalities still have outdated sewage systems that are at risk of flooding during heavy rainfall.

The U.S. Department of the Interior released a 1,200-page supplemental environmental impact study (EIS) on the proposed Ambler Access Road in Alaska, which reveals potentially greater social and environmental impacts than previously thought, including concerns about disrupting traditional hunting and fishing lifestyles and causing permafrost thaw.

The sand dunes in Hooper Bay, Alaska, which serve as a protective barrier against storms and preserve the community's cultural history, are rapidly eroding and may lead to the relocation of the village. The dunes were once home to sod houses and artifacts dating back to 1600 A.D. The loss of the dunes threatens not only subsistence food resources but also the community's connection to its past. As the dunes continue to erode, there are concerns about the potential relocation of the community and the preservation of their stories and artifacts.

A possible cougar sighting has been reported in Whitehorse's McIntyre neighbourhood, with conservation officers taking the report seriously but considering it unconfirmed.

Families in Hooper Bay, Alaska, who were displaced by Typhoon Merbok last year and currently live in low-income housing, may lose their housing by the end of the month due to the expiration of their temporary emergency placement.

A new study reveals that four dozen Antarctic ice shelves have shrunk by at least 30% since 1997, with 28 of them losing more than half of their ice, raising concerns about sea level rise due to climate change.

Coastal Alaskans in Hooper Bay and Chevak are struggling to find subsistence foods, such as berries and underground caches of roots called “mouse food”, due to the impact of Typhoon Merbok's storm surge and a cold, rainy summer.

Most of the humpbacks were seen near the Inupiat village of Point Hope, indicating a feeding hotspot in that area. While sightings farther north have been less numerous, there has still been an increase in recent years. The study suggests that climate change and the reduction of Arctic sea ice may be a factor in the expansion of humpback whale range.

Lichens can provide valuable information about air quality and environmental conditions, as different species have different sensitivities to pollution and humidity levels, making them useful indicators of climate and pollution levels in a given area.

Nearly 1,000 migrating birds died after crashing into a building in Chicago due to a confluence of specific conditions, including unfavorable weather and lights being left on in the building.

The extreme drought sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is already impacting hundreds of thousands of people and killing local wildlife.