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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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Alaska geologists dig into Bering Sea’s past storms to understand future ones
Extreme weather events like Typhoon Merbok are becoming more common, and many Alaska communities are wondering about the future.
Bering Sea
Alaska Public Media

Secrets of the Lorino cliff
Scientists from Moscow State University have studied the Lorino cliff in the Chukotka region and discovered that the rapid retreat of the coast is due to the reduction of sea ice, and they recommend that villagers prepare for the transfer of coastal structures further inland.
Lorino, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Fish were plentiful, but fishermen scarce for Southeast Alaska’s first summer king opening
Southeast trollers brought in about 85,000 king salmon from July 1 to July 12, around 8,000 fish over the target for the first opener of the season. Nevertheless, the fishing was pretty good for the 500 boats that stayed in the game. Hagerman says three days of bad weather during the opener meant for some busy days during good conditions. A lot of the work involved shaking undersize kings, which were below the legal length of 28-inches, and trying to keep hooks free for bigger fish.
Southeast Alaska
Alaska Public Media

Residents in Fort Smith, N.W.T., seeing more bears in town this year
Some residents in Fort Smith, N.W.T., say they're seeing more bears in and around town this year, and it's not clear why.
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Environmental activists work to reconnect Yukon villages with salmon amid subsistence restrictions
Amid the collapse of chum and chinook salmon on the river, the Smokehouse Collective is trying to build sustainable, resilient food systems for Native communities.
Yukon River, Alaska
Alaska Public Media

Alarming, above-average ice loss in Greenland due to rising temperatures
Satellite images from NASA show the alarming and above-average ice loss in Greenland due to rising temperatures, with significant melting and a transformation of the snow cover observed during the 2023 melting season.
Greenland
Eye on the Arctic

Harmful algal bloom monitoring gets underway
The R/V Sikuliaq is a familiar sight in the Port of Nome. The ice-breaking research vessel is owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This year, while the vessel is out at sea it will be collecting water that could signal whether a bloom is occurring.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

How whale poo could be making the planet cleaner
The "whale pump hypothesis" claims nutrient-rich whale excrement feeds phytoplankton, a key producer of Earth's oxygen.
Alaska, United States

It’s so hot in Arizona, doctors are treating a spike of patients who were burned by falling on the ground
The temperature of asphalt and pavement and concrete and sidewalks in Arizona on a warm sunny day or summer afternoon is 180 degrees sometimes.
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
CNN

North Slope authorities urge inclusion of Iñupiat in wildlife management
North Slope experts think Indigenous experts should take the lead on wildlife management. When it comes to belugas, caribou and ice seals, managing agencies and researchers are often in charge of setting hunting regulations and analyzing the animals.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

As climate change transforms the Arctic, Homeland Security must adapt, official says
The forces of climate change that are reducing ice cover and opening up the Arctic to more activity are making Alaska more important in regards to Homeland Security. For the Department, which has a combination of public safety, emergency response and law-enforcement functions, climate change is creating new challenges for which old responses are no longer adequate.
The Arctic

Sitka-based tour company is asking visitors to consider the cost of their emissions
Electric heat pumps help homeowners swap fossil fuel for renewable energy. To spread heat pumps across the region, Allen Marine is collecting small donations from thousands of visitors that pass through Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan on their whale watching and glacier tours each year.
Sitka, Alaska, United States

As record heat bakes the Lower 48, Anchorage contends with its coolest summer in years
Anchorage is cool and wet this summer as the rest of the world bakes in the sun and heat.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

'I'm definitely worried': Wildfire smoke means Yellowknife's air quality among worst in Canada
Clean, fresh air can be part of the draw for tourists to Canada's North — but they won't find it this week in Yellowknife due to wildfire smoke.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Extreme heat affects some airline flights, workers
Extreme heat around the nation is affecting some flights departing from airports including Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Phoenix, which have had triple-digit temperatures this week.
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
The Brunswick News

Kodiak resident dies in hit-and-run during Saturday’s tsunami evacuation
A Kodiak woman died in a hit-and-run collision during Saturday’s tsunami warning and evacuation,
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Hot, dry N.W.T. weather keeping the mosquitoes down or for now
An entomologist who works with the N.W.T. government said mosquito populations throughout the territory are lower than average. That’s because most types of mosquitoes "love water," and conditions in parts of the territory have been hot and dry instead.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Wildfire smoke, extreme heat continue to steamroll N.W.T. communities
Wildfire smoke has been blasting much of the N.W.T. lately, with air quality advisories in nearly every community Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, much of the territory is also coping with record-breaking heat.
Northwest Territories, Canada

Sen. Murkowski visits Pilgrim Hot Springs, Graphite One site
Graphite One is developing a plan for an open-pit graphite mine and is still in its exploration phase.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

As the climate warms, the face of Denali National Park changes
The damage wrought to the park’s road by melting permafrost is creating a new reality affecting visitors, park staff, local businesses and potentially wildlife.
Denali National Park, Alaska
Anchorage Daily News

Bag upon bag of dead bird in Vadsø: 1000 seagulls were retrieved on Monday
No one knows how many birds are infected with avian influenza along the coast of Finnmark. In Vadsø, seagulls sit next to dozens of dead birds.
Vadsø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
NRK
Sarah Yoder, Bob Gerlach, Andrew Ramey, Lars Flora

Southwestern Alaska is having its cloudiest summer in 30 years, climatologists say
A low-pressure front that’s stuck over the southern part of the Bering Sea has formed clouds, which the jet stream carries east into southern Alaska.
Southwest Alaska

Smoke from Canada wildfires reaches Southeast Alaska
People in Southeast Alaska are starting to see smoke from Canada's record-breaking wildfire season — and there’s more to come. The air quality levels are still fair: hovering around 17, on a scale that goes up to 300.
Petersburg, Alaska, United States

Shishaldin volcano in Eastern Aleutians increases activity, draws monitoring
Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutians — it’s had nearly 30 eruptions since 1824.
Shishaldin Volcano

Veterans who Served on Contaminated Alaskan Bases Faced Similar Health Hazards to Camp Lejeune
For countless US veterans, the Army’s mismanagement and careless disposal of hazardous substances since the early years of the Cold War have been an enduring source of debilitating and fatal consequences. Notorious instances such as the pervasive contamination at Camp Lejeune, where toxins leached into groundwater for over 30 years.
Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States
Alaska Native News

When Alaska wilderness adventures go wrong, mental mistakes are sometimes to blame
Adventures go wrong whether through failures of gear or navigation, not to mention the unpredictable weather and large, wild animals. Adventurers can make thinking errors that, in some cases, make an uncomfortable situation much worse.
Alaska, United States

Invasive slug species in Girdwood may be on the move; experts ask public for help tracking
An invasive species of mollusks, typically found in Southeast Alaska and established in Girdwood in 2015, have been reported in the Anchorage Bowl this year. “The European black slug is not necessarily new to Alaska,” Slowik said. “It was introduced into Cordova about the 1980s and it really stayed there for a long time.”
Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Covid-19 spread between humans and deer, study shows, raising concerns about animal reservoirs
People spread Covid-19 to wild white-tailed deer more than 100 times in late 2021 and early 2022. The infection circulated widely in the deer population in the United States, and in at least three instances, researchers suspect the virus was passed between deer where it picked up unique genetic changes and then re-infected humans.
United States
CNN

'Seeing is believing': VR project immerses viewers in climate change on Yukon's Herschel Island
The virtual reality project Qikiqtaruk: Arctic at Risk is transporting people to Yukon's northernmost point without them ever having to leave home.
Herschel Island, Canada

Keeping cans and computers out of the landfill: Dillingham's recycling initiatives
The Friends of the Landfill works with community partners to recycle aluminum cans and tech waste.
Dillingham, Alaska, United States
KDLG

Québec funds research to adapt Nunavik public housing to thawing permafrost
The Quebec government has allocated over $2 million to research and develop a plan to adapt public housing in Nunavik to the effects of thawing permafrost, which can cause damage to units built on jacks.
Inukjuak, Quebec, 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

The Arctic Climatologist Calling Attention to a Looming Data Crisis
Rick Thoman is thinking hard about the cost of climate change and the benefits of better tracking, potentially influencing Alaska’s response to extreme weather and more.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

U.S. Forest Service awards grants to boost Tongass logging
The two Alaska grants are aimed at retooling mills to harvest young growth timber in the Tongass National Forest rather than old growth.
Petersburg, Alaska, United States

Retreating Arctic glaciers leave bubbling methane in their wake, scientists warn
Scientists found that the glaciers are triggering the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that causes global temperatures to rise.
Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Anchorage Daily News

Polish scientists probe possible food-chain link to H5N1 avian flu in cats
Scientists say they found the virus in one of five submitted chicken meat samples that the cats ate.
Poland

How e-bikes are becoming the norm on Anchorage trails
E-bikes offer riders added range, mobility and approachability. But they also potentially bring an added element of increased speed to mixed-use trails that are already buzzing with activity.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Urban Alaska can learn from energy innovation in rural Alaska
The state’s rural areas lead the world in renewably powered microgrids. So if the grid of the future is being incubated in rural Alaska, can urban Alaska, like the Railbelt, benefit from some of these strategies and lessons learned?
Alaska, United States
ArcticToday

PAWS of Nome seeks funding for bark park, wildlife fencing
With recent events between Musk ox, humans, and dogs, Nome looks for solutions to mitigate the problem. As they graze on patches of grass, often within city limits, the potential for dog conflict and even human interactions are becoming common.

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

By breeding like crazy, voles underpin wildlife food chain in Alaska
Voles breed like crazy. They can have three or four litters of six to eight kits each summer. Babies are born hairless, but are weaned and on their own in less than three weeks. Females are ready to breed at 30 days.

Mountains frozen for thousands of years are collapsing as global temperatures rise
Scientists say that rising global temperatures are causing collapsing mountains as ancient permafrost begins to thaw.
Brienz, Bern, Switzerland
BGR

Fallout of French nuclear testing in Pacific still affecting men decades later
Kiwi crews exposed to radiation at Mururoa Atoll hold concerns for subsequent generations.
French Polynesia
NZ Herald

Global heat waves show climate change and El Niño are a bad combo
Scientists say worsening heat waves have a clear link to climate change. This year, a seasonal El Niño pattern will also be adding fuel to the fire.
Pacific Ocean
KTOO

Cook Inlet beluga whale population stabilizes
Beluga whales in Cook Inlet have been in a long period of decline, about two percent a year. But a new population count points to a reversal. The latest numbers have led researchers to declare the population stable for the first time in decades.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
KNBA

'Alaska Weather' show will halt TV broadcast in July, raising concerns among many rural Alaskans
A long-running television show, "Alaska Weather" unique to Alaska that provides detailed weather, aviation and marine forecasts across the state will stop airing at the end of June. Especially in rural communities where many residents rely on the show for weather and safety information that's vital to coordinating flights and planning subsistence hunts or commercial fishing trips.

Study: Erosion has made the Bering Strait a meter deeper on the Alaska side than it used to be
A research project found that the Bering Strait is at least a meter deeper on the Alaska side than previously believed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The project evaluated new and old bathymetric surveys, applying modern technology to the latter to more accurately pinpoint locations.
Bering Strait
ArcticToday

Borough wood stove change-out program continues
As the Fairbanks North Star Borough continues to tweak plans to improve air quality in its nonattainment zone, its wood stove change-out program continues to grow.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Dunleavy again vetoes research project on salmon bycatch
$513,000 was vetoed in state budget that would have looked into the origin of salmon caught by the Bering Sea pollock fleet.

Bristol Bay sportfishing regulations change, in response to concerns over king salmon decline
As king salmon decline in the Bristol Bay region, changes to king salmon harvest include reduced bag limits, area closures, as well as the introduction of youth-only fisheries in the Naknek River.
Bristol Bay, Alaska
KDLG

Scientist warns of heightened PSP toxins' impact on Yukon salmon
Knik Tribe officials have found very high levels of the toxin which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning in samples from Southern Alaska mussels and clams — but they warn that parts of some fish, including king salmon, may also contain the toxin
Yukon River, Alaska

In 'major victory' for Southeast Alaska trollers, federal appeals panel reverses fishery closure
A federal appeals panel issued a last-second ruling Wednesday that will allow this summer’s Southeast Alaska troll chinook salmon fishery to open as scheduled July 1.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States

BLM to restore water quality, fish habitat along Upper Yukon River
The Bureau of Land Management, in partnership with the Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District and Trout Unlimited, are restoring mining-impacted streams along the upper Yukon River watershed. Projects will improve water quality and fish habitat along Nome and Wade Creeks.
Yukon, Alaska, United States
Alaska Native News

Ongoing internet outage hamstrings 911, other vital services in Northwest Alaska
It’s been a week since ice severed a fiber optic cable in the Arctic Ocean, cutting communications to several Northwest Alaska communities.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

How to Siifish: Traditional Knowledge from the Northwest Arctic
This film is for young people and anyone in the Northwest Arctic who is curious about how (and why) to siifish, and how to process the fish after catching.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
YouTube

Drought and rising heat bring unusual wildfire warnings in Northern Europe
Northern Europe is experiencing an unusual heat wave and drought, making the region more vulnerable to forest fires, with firefighters battling wildfires in Portugal, Spain, Croatia, and southern France, and temperatures expected to hit 86 degrees Fahrenheit in Finland, rare for a country straddling the Arctic Circle.
Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
Los Angeles Times

How they save the kelp forest in the north – from "sea urchin desert" to the sea's nursery
During the 1970's much of the Norwegian coastline was overfished. In the past, a kelp forest provided shelter and food for local sealife. Today, the seabed, along the Norwegian coastline is a sea urchin desert. Researchers, volunteers, and the "Kelp Keepers" in Tromso, are removing the sea urchins and rebuilding the kelp forest.
Tromsø, Troms, Norway
NRK

World breaks average temperature record for early June
"Global-mean surface air temperatures for the first days of June 2023 were the highest in the ERA5 data record for early June by a substantial margin", said Copernicus. Some of the unit's data goes back as far as 1950.
Le Monde.fr

EPA has new rules for oil spill dispersants
Dispersants may break up an oil slick, sparing some birds and wildlife at the surface, but may increase the oil contamination for species that live lower in the water column. The toxicity of dispersants themselves is also a concern for cleanup workers and other wildlife. A group of Alaskans filed a lawsuit in 2020 to force the EPA to rewrite the rules to take into account research on the long-term effects of dispersants in Prince William Sound and elsewhere.
Valdez, Alaska, United States

Invasive pike can use Cook Inlet to travel between freshwater systems, research finds
Now, for the first time, researchers have concrete evidence that northern pike could use the ocean to move between freshwater Alaska habitats.
Soldotna, Alaska, United States

Want to help Alaska biologists log migratory fish? There's an app for that.
Biologists and others are hoping that a new phone app will encourage Alaskans to help map fish species living in the state's rivers and streams.

Indigenous communities in B.C., Alaska, declare state of emergency over Pacific salmon
A group of Indigenous communities from Alaska and B.C. has declared a state of emergency related to Pacific salmon populations, and says First Nations need to be more involved in managing traditional resources.
British Columbia, Canada

As ticks gain ground in Alaska, researchers say health risk remains low for now
Those studying ticks in Alaska currently are more concerned about non-native ticks hitching a ride on pets that arrive in the state from Outside, and infecting wildlife here.

Two icebreakers escort gas tanker in first summer shipment on Arctic route
Ice lies thick on the water as nuclear powered icebreakers "Sibir" and "Arktika" escort LNG carrier "Fedor Litke" into the Vilkitsky Strait en route to a Northeast Asian port.
Vilkitsky Strait, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

Salmon are disappearing on the Yukon and Kuskokwim. Here’s what to know about the crisis this summer.
Chinook (king) and chum are the major salmon species on the Yukon and Kuskokwim. They’ve been at historically low numbers in both rivers for years. The coho (silver) returns have also dropped.This will be the fourth year subsistence fishing has been closed or severely restricted on both rivers. The region is bracing for another dismal subsistence harvest.
Bethel, Alaska, United States

Ancient Indigenous 'clam gardens' could be modern-day climate solution
For close to four millennia, "clam gardens" on beaches on the west coast of B.C. have provided First Nations with a supply of not just clams but other types of seafood. Scientific experimentation by researchers from Simon Fraser University, in collaboration with Coastal Salish First Nations, indicates clam gardens help sea life stay cooler. The research aims to show how ancient Indigenous practices offer a modern-day solution to coping with climate change.
Russell Island,, British Columbia, Canada

Avian influenza has returned to Alaska, and so have health advisories
The highly pathogenic disease circling the globe stands out for its effects on wild birds, and experts say Alaskans should be on the lookout for cases.

Sail, solar panels, battery. Norwegian zero-emission cruise concept revealed
Hurtigruten Norway says the first zero-emission coastal cruise vessels will be sailing in 2030.
Norway
The Independent Barents Observer

Millions breathing hazardous air as smoke from Canadian wildfires streams south over US
The air quality index, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency metric for air pollution, exceeded a staggering 400 at times in Syracuse, New York City and Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. A level of 50 or under is considered good; anything over 300 is considered “hazardous,” when even healthy people are advised to curtail outdoor physical activity.
New York City, New York, United States
AP NEWS

Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by 2030s, say scientists
The Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by the 2030s, even if we do a good job of reducing emissions between now and then.
ArcticToday

Alaska's spring was colder than average, while other places baked (so, yes, global warming is still a thing)
Lingering snow and cloudy days resulted in temperatures about 3.5 degrees below the statewide average from March through May.

A large fish that fills freezers in Northwest Alaska could be in danger
Following a thaw slump, the water becomes cloudy and full of sediment, potentially suffocating the eggs of spawning sheefish. Scientists are concerned that permafrost thaw could lead to declines in the sheefish population, a staple food for many Alaskans.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

COVID vaccination effective in protecting vulnerable Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, study says
A study by the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp and the CDC found that COVID vaccination was 92% effective in preventing hospitalizations and extremely effective at preventing symptomatic cases among the mostly Yupik residents of the region, with booster shots restoring protection against symptomatic cases.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Tiny but tenacious: arctic-alpine plants are engineers and warning bells
When most people consider the arctic, or high-altitude mountain landscapes, they think of endless snow, ice and bare rock. But pastel-coloured flowers, sometimes just a few millimetres wide, bloom in these dramatic places too. The miniature flowers not only weather some of the toughest habitats on Earth, but can also help engineer the landscape for other species.
The Arctic

As Arctic warms, female arctic ground squirrels end hibernation before males – a mismatch with consequences
As Alaskan permafrost warms, hibernating arctic ground squirrels generate less heat, causing females to emerge from hibernation up to 10 days before their male counterparts – a mismatch that could have large, cascading ecological impacts. While reduced thermogenesis due to warming temperatures could allow the squirrels to conserve energy and, thus, increase winter survival, a shortened hibernation season could also increase the exposure of the animals to hungry predators, altering mortality rates, particularly for earlier emerging female squirrels. The phenological mismatch between the sexes may also disrupt reproductive rates. And over longer time scales, continued warming in the Arctic may lead to changes in male squirrel seasonal behaviors, say the authors.
EurekAlert!

Homer police take Grubby the opossum into custody
Homer police confirmed the Wednesday capture of the “wanted fugitive and somewhat local celebrity," otherwise known as an invasive species.
Homer, Alaska, United States

Replaced artificial turf a year ago – the environmentally damaging knobs are still here
Tromsø IL thought the municipality would reuse the deck. Now they will probably have to pay over a million kroner to have it removed.
Troms, Norway
NRK

High risk of wildfires in many parts of Sweden
The risk of wildfires is biggest locally in Skåne, Gotland and eastern parts of southern and central Sweden.Inland in the far north of Norrland is also ...
Haninge, Stockholm, Sweden

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

Puffin Population Declining More Rapidly than Previously Believed
The Icelandic puffin population has shrunk by 70% in the last thirty years. The Managing Director of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association (SAF) has stated that this is bad news for the ecosystem and for companies within the tourist sector, who have marketed the puffin as a kind of national symbol. Decline much worse than […]
Iceland
Iceland Review

Rare tropical permafrost near Mauna Kea’s summit diminishing, researchers find
Rare tropical permafrost near Mauna Kea's summit is diminishing, with frozen soil patches showing signs of shrinking over time, according to researchers, who suggest there is no lasting way to prevent it from melting.
Manua Kea Volcano

Bering Sea 2019 heatwave produced extreme change
The Bering Sea region is front and center for federal fisheries researchers after the 2019 heatwave produced extreme change in the marine ecosystem.
Bering Sea Region

Orcas have sunk 3 boats in Europe and appear to be teaching others to do the same. But why?
Scientists think a traumatized orca initiated the assault on boats after a "critical moment of agony" and that the behavior is spreading among the population through social learning.
Straits of Gilbratar
livescience.com

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