LEO Network

About the LEO Network
The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

UK study finds some species of seabirds are showing signs of developing immunity to avian influenza
A UK study has found that some species of seabirds are developing immunity to avian influenza, which has caused significant mortalities in wild bird populations and poses a threat to human health.
United Kingdom

A squeaky wheel with data: how Nipissing First Nation is healing environmental damage
Nipissing First Nation in Ontario, Canada is using innovative methods, such as aerating water and replacing invasive species with wild rice, to heal environmental damage and improve the ecosystem.
Ontario, Canada
The Narwhal

Expert Proposes Ban on Hunting Puffins
If puffin hunting is banned, that population is expected to decrease by over 10% over the next decade. If hunting continues to be permitted, however, the population is expected to decrease by 30% or even as much as 50% within that same period.
South Iceland
Iceland Review

Arctic Warming Triggers Abrupt Ecosystem Shift in North America Deepest Lake
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.
Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada
Eos

Bering Sea fishing group grapples with how to invest pollock profits in Western Alaska
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.
Quinhagak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

North Atlantic right whale population has steadied, scientists say
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.
North Atlantic Ocean
CBC

New research off Cape Breton sheds light on pilot whale behaviour
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.
Cape Breton, NS, Canada
CBC

Lead pollution from small planes threatens human health, EPA finds
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.
Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Chum Salmon Are Spawning in the Arctic. It’s an Ominous Sign
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.
North Slope, Alaska
WIRED

Several birds in the forest are in great decline
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..
Stord, Vestland, Norway
NRK

New study hints at huge price tag from permafrost thaw in Alaska
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.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Many municipalities have not upgraded sewage systems to cope with flash-flooding
Many municipalities still have outdated sewage systems that are at risk of flooding during heavy rainfall.
Sweden

New Ambler Road draft expands on potential problems
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.
Ambler, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Hooper Bay's dunes, home to the community’s cultural history, are slipping into the sea
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.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States
KYUK

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

Hooper Bay families displaced by Merbok could lose housing this month
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.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Scientists count huge melts in many protective Antarctic ice shelves. Trillions of tons of ice lost
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.
Antarctica
The Associated Press

A year after Typhoon Merbok, some coastal Alaskans struggle to find subsistence foods
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.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Humpback whales increasingly sighted in Arctic Alaska waters better known as bowhead territory
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.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

What lichens can tell us about climate and pollution
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.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
CBC

Nearly 1,000 migrating birds died after crashing into Chicago building
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.
Chicago, Illinois, United States
NPR

‘Without water, there is no life’: Drought in Brazil’s Amazon is sharpening fears for the future
The extreme drought sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is already impacting hundreds of thousands of people and killing local wildlife.
Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
AP News

Department reacts to sick and dead birds
The Department for Fisheries and Hunting in Greenland is responding to reports of sick and dead birds along the country's west coast and east coast, with concerns that it may be due to avian influenza, but the risk of transmission to humans is low.
Greenland
Sermitsiaq.AG

Unalaska under air quality advisory for Shishaldin volcano ashfall
Unalaska in Alaska is under an air quality advisory due to ashfall from the eruption of Mount Shishaldin on Unimak Island, with the advisory extended until Thursday.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States

More than 100 dolphins found dead in Brazilian Amazon as water temperatures soar
More than 100 dolphins have died in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in the past week as the region grapples with a severe drought, and many more could die soon if water temperatures remain high, experts say.
São Paulo, Brazil
CTVNews

Climate change brings cloudberry to Svalbard
After an exceptionally warm summer, ripe cloudberries are for the first time documented at 78° North.
Coal Bay Valley
The Independent Barents Observer

Harsh 2022-2023 winter impacts wood bison population
Most of the 28 yearlings that were released into the herd in during the summer of 2022 didn't survive.
Lower Innoko-Yukon River
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

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