LEO Network

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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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Observations

Fuel shortage and blizzard leave St. George residents rationing heat and water
“Whatever led up to the situation where all the sudden we don't have any fuel in the dead of winter, and with all these storms coming through, is beyond me,” said St. George resident Victor Malavansky. “I would like to say this is totally unacceptable.”
Saint George, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Bowhead pod visits Savoonga with ice conditions unsuitable for hunting
Earlier this week, a pod of about nine Bowhead whales were seen off the northern coast of Savoonga but young ice conditions around St. Lawrence Island prevented hunting. If local hunters hauled a whale out onto young ice, it would break apart.
Savoonga, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Ships traveling into a warming Arctic are leaving garbage in their wake, scientists warn
Following another year of stark climate impacts in the Arctic, scientists warned Tuesday of a new scourge hitting the region: marine trash. With the region warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, sea ice that has long blanketed the Arctic Ocean is disappearing, opening new routes to shipping.
Nome, Alaska, United States
ArcticToday

Storm related flooding and infrastructure damage
"We lost internet and a power outage effected several residential homes and businesses. Of course there was no way to travel. Thankfully no medical emergencies."
Golovin, Alaska, United States
Carol Oliver, Racheal Lee, Edward "Ted" Smith, Anahma Shannon

Seawall to protect Utqiagvik from extreme storms
A seawall planned for Utqiagvik is aimed at protecting residents from extreme storms while preserving their connection to the ocean.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

Wind gusts in Northwest Alaska pushed away sea ice, caused power outages
Extremely high winds blew over Northwest Alaska this weekend, pushing away ice cover and cutting power in some communities. The storm is expected to be 100 miles west of Utqiagvik by 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning and continue to weaken and drift north after that.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States
Arctic Sounder

First Ever Cases of Infectious Salmon Anaemia in Iceland
The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) has found evidence of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) in an open-net salmon farm in Reyðarfjörður fjord, East Iceland. ISA is a highly infectious viral disease that has no treatment and causes high mortality in farmed Atlantic salmon.
Reydarfjordur, East, Iceland
Iceland Review

Major Disaster Averted in Icy Kara Sea After Two Oil Barges Ran Aground
Fuel shipments normally take place during autumn from departure ports such as Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. However, last fall saw a sudden freeze-up and quickly accumulating sea-ice on the Northern Sea Route, including the Kara Sea. Of the two rescued barges, one contained 7,000 tons of diesel fuel, while the other was loaded with 170 tons of kerosene.
The Moscow Times

Ice-locked Russian Arctic towns might not get needed supplies
Quickly accumulating sea ice along the Northern Sea Route is creating a potentially critical situation along Russia’s east Arctic coast. For several weeks, a number of ships have been trapped in thick sea ice. Several ships have also been waiting to sail into the area.
Arkhangel’sk, Arkhangelskaya, Russia
ArcticToday

This November's sea ice extent in the northern Bering is the best in years
Current sea ice extent in Northern Alaska waters is the highest it’s been since November 2001.
Nome, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Harmful algae colours the Oslo fjord green
Scientists now say that the harmful alga will survive the winter and that it will probably turn green in the Oslo fjord next year as well.
Oslofjord, Oslo, Norway
NRK
Lea Girolami Bråthen, Dag Aasdalen, Maren Nan Myrseth

Two icebreakers are on the way to rescue ice-locked ships on Northern Sea Route
Over the past years, ice conditions in late October and early November have allowed extensive shipping along the vast Russian Arctic coast. This year, however, large parts of the remote Arctic waters were already covered by sea ice by late October.
ArcticToday

Here winter has become two months shorter
Winter will never be the way it was, according to scientists. Towards the end of the century, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute predicts that the winter weather will gradually disappear from Oslo.
Bodø, Nordland, Norway
NRK

Southern temperatures in Northern Norway – warmer in Narvik than in Rome
This morning it was as hot in Narvik as in Rome and Istanbul, and far warmer than countries in southern Europe. However, the mild air is on the wane.
Narvik, Nordland, Norway
NRK

If you're a surfer, you'll want to read UCSD's final figures on the 'bomb cyclone' waves
The largest wave was a 60-foot 4-inch beast that hit Astoria, Oregon on Sunday. It was a record for the station, which is part of Scripps’ Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP).
Astoria, Oregon, United States
San Diego Union-Tribune

Jellyfish attack nuclear power plant
Scotland’s only working nuclear power plant at Torness shut down in an emergency procedure this week when jellyfish clogged the sea water-cooling intake pipes at the plant. To protect marine life and avert nuclear disasters, scientists are investigating the use of drones to provide estimates of jellyfish locations, amounts, and density.
Torness Power Station, Scotland
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Mysterious fish ended up in Vetle's boat - expert says it's extremely rare
Vetle Berntsen and the others on the trawler understood little when the black fish ended up on board. No wonder – the fish actually live in deep water around the equator. It turned out to be *Diretmichthys parini*, also known as ducat fish, one of three documented in Norway.
Barents Sea, norway

Erosion at Cape Blossom
"The sea level rise and wind is making this happen because it is really vulnerable. We are always really amazed every time we go out there with the change, and pieces of earth the size of a house falling over."
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Gumboot Chiton Cryptochiton stelleri Die-off
We saw over 100 on a 1/2 mile stretch of beach. I am wondering if the chiton die-off is related to the stormy conditions or something else?
Coupeville, Washington, United States

Oil spill reaches Laguna Beach, threatens Crystal Cove in Newport Beach as cleanup efforts intensify
The oil likely will continue to encroach on Orange County beaches for the next few days, officials said.
Los Angeles Times

Rare beluga whale sighting in Puget Sound stirs excitement — and concern
It would be an obscure sighting of the species. The closest beluga population, which lives at least 1,400 miles away in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, is endangered and covered under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Cross Cut

Animal tragedy in the Oslo fjord
Hundreds of guillemots go astray in the Oslo fjord every autumn. Many are now starving in the food-poor fjord.
Oslofjorden, Oslo, Norway

Rare pink salmon spotted southeast of Iqaluit
Karen Dunmall, a biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said pink salmon normally prefer warmer waters than the Arctic has been able to provide. But with the Arctic warming at up to three times the rate of the rest of the world, its waters are becoming more approachable for newcomers like this species.
Nunatsiaq News

Low oxygen levels along Pacific Northwest coast a ‘silent’ climate change crisis
If upwelling starts a month earlier than usual, the amount of oxygen, already low, has to last until the fall when storms promote mixing which adds oxygen back into the system. As of late September this year, upwelling is still occurring and low levels of oxygen are still persisting.
Seattle, Washington, United States
The Seattle Times

Valuable crab populations are in a ‘very scary’ decline in warming Bering Sea
King and snow crab populations in the Bering Sea have plummeted ahead of the harvest season, some by 99% compared to previous years.
Bering Sea
The Seattle Times

Thousands of seabirds found dead along east coast – with climate change blamed
Rising sea temperatures may mean prey swimming in deeper water out of reach of guillemots, razorbills, puffins and kittiwakes
Stromness, Scotland, United Kingdom
The Independent

Research has no answers for continued seabird die-off
St. Lawrence Island, home to two native villages in the region, is also the summer home of several migratory seabird species, including kittiwakes, auklets, murre and shearwaters. Over the last several years, though, the bird colonies on the island have been shrinking, and no one has been able to determine why.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

The Ocean Is Swallowing a Town That Can’t Afford to Fight Climate Change
A failing breakwater in Conception Bay South in Newfoundland shows just how ill-prepared most places are for the climate crisis.
Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Vice

'It was a special day': Transient orcas set sightings record as population thrives on B.C. coast
Nearly 30 transient orcas were spotted in the Salish Sea around British Columbia and Washington state over the Labor Day weekend, a positive sign for the species, according to local whale watchers and researchers.
Winslow, Washington, United States
Vancouver Island

An invasive parasite is taking over Alaska blue mud shrimp. Researchers want to kill it.
Orthione griffenis, or O. griffenis, eventually kills its host shrimp, and soon the remaining shrimp can’t find each other to reproduce, rendering a blue mud shrimp population extinct.
Sitka, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Large jellyfish threaten fisheries in the Sea of Japan
Swarms of giant jellyfish are floating along the coastline of the Sea of Japan, and the damage they may cause to fisheries is feared to be the worst in more than a decade.
Wakasa Bay, Japan
The Japan News

Decrease in Prawn Abundance of Desolation Sound
It is apparent that this area of coastline has experienced a sharp decline in its prawn populations. This may be due to increased fishing pressure from commercial prawn fishermen.
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
David Oswald, Cody Thomas, Conlan Magel, Tom Okey

Sunken scallop boat off Kodiak remains pollution hazard decades later
The sunken scallop boat, Saint Patrick, remains a pollution hazard off the coast of Kodiak, Alaska, decades after sinking in 1989, bringing up memories of a devastating fishing disaster in 1981 that claimed nine lives.
Womens Bay, Alaska, United States

Marine vomit spread along the western coast of Norway
A self-cloning and invincible enemy invades coastal areas. The carpet sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum) or “marine vomit” have been observed nearby Stavanger and Bergen. Large yellow flakes has spread on the seabed and kills everything beneath. It may grow on boats and can spread along the coast.
Engøysundet, Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
Josef Benoni Ness Tveit, Håkon Mannsåker

Sea cucumber die-off near Vancouver Island
When Kathleen Reed descended for her usual weekly dive off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., last Saturday she was shocked by how many dead sea cucumbers she saw. Experts and harvesters fear that sea cucumbers are being hit by an illness similar to sea star wasting disease.
Dolphin Beach, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Fears oil ship will fall apart
Despite extensive and expensive work last summer to prevent further oil leaks from the Second World War shipwreck El Grillo, in Seyðisfjörður, oil is still leaking into the sea. It is thought the wreck still contains some 10-15 tonnes of oil.
Seyðisfjörður, East, Iceland
RÚV

Mysterious smelly fat blobs pollute West Vancouver beach
District of West Vancouver staff say they cleaned up 40 litres of fat from Ambleside Beach. Vancouver Coastal Health and the province are investigating.
West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
North Shore News

Rare footage shows a polar bear hunt a swimming reindeer
Rare footage shot by a researcher expedition in Norway shows a polar bear hunting and catching a swimming adult reindeer. The video, captured by Mateusz Gruszka, a cook for an expedition of Polish researchers in August 2021 on the Svalbard archipelago, shows the bear catching the reindeer and drowning it before dragging it ashore.
Svalbard Archipelago

Phytoplankton blooms hint at changing Arctic waters
Recent research has found that coccolithophore blooms are occupying increasingly more space in the Barents Sea. Between 1998 and 2016, coccolithophore summer blooms have expanded poleward and their surface area in the Barents Sea has doubled.
Nunatsiaq News

Tsunami warning canceled after 8.2 offshore earthquake sent people in many Alaska coastal communities to higher ground
The Tsunami Warning Center recorded waves of less than 1 foot above normal as a result of the earthquake.
Chignik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Sea Life Die-Off Found on Beach
"While on a field trip for work, we stopped at the beach and you can notice hundreds of dead clams and star fish littering the beach."
Elim, Alaska, United States
Carol Oliver, Derek Sikes, Leigh Takak, Gay Sheffield, Racheal Lee

B.C.'s heat wave may be to blame for several cases of shellfish poisoning
Several people have fallen ill with food poisoning after eating shellfish in B.C. in the last 10 days, and health officials are warning that warm ocean waters might be to blame.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

'Unprecedented' absence of southern resident killer whales from Salish Sea
The most common pod of southern resident killer whales who migrate to the Salish Sea during the summer have not been seen for than 100 days, marking a highly unusual absence from their historic summer hunting ground, according to researchers.
Salish Sea
Vancouver Island

Veterinarians of the village of Providence "resuscitated" the exhausted walrus
The female aroused interest among local residents. Specialists suggested that scars on its body could mean that it was attacked by an orca; the walrus hauled out a few days after a group of walruses had been trapped by orcas. After treatment, the walrus left the shore.
Provideniya, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia
Chukotka

Opah on the Oregon Coast
On July 14, a rare 100-pound opah fish was found on the Oregon coast. The 3.5 foot 100 pound fish washed up at Sunset Beach, and was reported to the Seaside Aquarium.
Sunset Beach, Oregon, United States
WRAL.com

Blue mussel die-off in Skagway
"The first wave of dead mussels washed ashore on July 14th, possibly earlier but this was the first report we received. I took the pictures included in my LEO observation on July 16th, and the temperatures were only just then beginning to climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s."
Skagway, Alaska, United States
Kris Holderied, Mandy Lindeberg, Reuben Cash

Invasive seaweed detected on Aotea/Great Barrier Island
Caulerpa brachypus, which can spread rapidly and create dense mats, was found in July in Blind Bay and Tryphena Harbour. This was the first time the pest species had been detected in New Zealand.
Great Barrier Island
NZ Herald

'Unprecedented:' Rare sei whales spotted off Vancouver Island
Researchers on an expedition 300 kilometers west of Vancouver Island stumbled upon a group of 25-30 endangered sei whales.
300 kms West of Vancouver Island, Canada
CHEK

Intertidal life after significant heat wave
In Malahat Drive in BC, an extraordinary heat wave, combined with low tides during the middle of the day resulted in the die off of possibly billions of intertidal invertebrates along the coast of British Columbia and Washington State.
Malahat Drive

Southwest Alaska community on Bering Sea coast experiences severe flooding
Kwigillingok, a community on the Bering Sea coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, is used to some flooding during high tides. But in recent years, that flooding has grown more severe, reaching a new threshold last week.
Kwigillingok, Alaska, United States

Extreme heat cooks shellfish alive on Puget Sound beaches
A record-shattering heat wave June 26-28 coincided with some of the year's lowest tides on Puget Sound. The combination was lethal for millions of mussels, clams, oysters, sand dollars, barnacles, sea stars, moon snails, and other tideland creatures exposed to three afternoons of intense heat.
Anacortes, Washington, United States
KUOW

Coast Guard responds to tar-like substance spill on Utqiagvik beach
Officials are still examining the substance in a lab to determine what it is, but DEC suspects it’s black tar or asphalt.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
KTOO
Wesley Early, Alaska's Energy Desk - Kotzebue

Halibut fisherman weathers freak storm on trip back from Togiak
Westfall thanked his training with the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association to help him maximize his odds for survival.
KTOO

Mysterious black substance on Wells Beach turns out to be millions of dead bugs
The black substance was staining the feet of people at the beach, prompting one local resident to alert state officials.
Wells Beach Station, Maine, United States
Press Herald

Red bloom in bay isn’t harmful
However, if ingested by oysters and other shellfish, the sudden burst of a ciliate form of zooplankton — or animal plankton — called Mesodinium rubrum could turn their meat pink.
Homer, Alaska, United States
Homer News

Turkey struck by ‘sea snot’ because of global heating
Increasing blanket of mucus-like substance in water threatens coral and fishing industry
Sea of Marmara
the Guardian

Blue whale beaches in Africa for the 'first time ever'
The 60 ft blue whale carcass drifted ashore near Walvis Bay, Namibia on Tuesday. Local authorities were alerted and are planning to move the body, which had several injuries.
Namibia
Mail Online

Survey Of Ocean Floor Between Los Angeles, Catalina Island Finds 27,000 Suspected Barrels Of DDT
Scientists have confirmed the existence of a DDT dump site in the waters off the coast of Southern California, and it’s even bigger than they had anticipated.
Southern Coast of California
MSN

A Massive Methane Reservoir Is Lurking Beneath the Sea
“The big finding was that we really have something that’s coming out from a deep pool,” said Steinbach. As the permafrost thaws, it opens up new pathways that allow methane to pass through.
Laptev Sea
Eos

As the Caspian Sea Disappears, Life Goes on for Those Living by Its Shores
Scientists predict the world’s largest inland sea will shrink by a quarter due to climate change by the end of the century. In Derbent, waves that once threatened to engulf entire streets have retreated by around 100 meters, leaving miles of fresh sand dunes up and down the former shoreline.
Derbent, Dagestan, Russia
The Moscow Times

Washed up - euphausiid shrimp on area beach
Thousands of euphausiid shrimp, the species identified here in Resurrection Bay as Thysanoessa spinifera. were washed into the intertidal zone and on the beach near Whittier
Whittier, Alaska, United States
Gary Freitag, Melissa Good, Amy Holman, Sunny Rice, Tuula Hollmen, Julie Matweyou, Kris Holderied, Richard Hocking

5th dead whale found in less than month near San Francisco Bay
The carcass of a 41-foot adult female gray whale landed at San Francisco’s Crissy Field on March 31. A second adult female was found April 3 at Moss Beach in San Mateo County. A third was found April 7 floating near the Berkeley Marina and the following day another at Muir Beach. A video of the fifth dead whale was posted on social media Friday.
San Francisco, California, United States
Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Melting Arctic ice reduces bowhead whale migration
Researchers in Canada find that population did not bother making the 6,000km roundtrip in 2018-2019
Bearing, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas
the Guardian

Fearing bird flu: Fisherman found 30 dead birds in three weeks
Odd Sørensen discovered this dead whooper swan on 10 April. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has received daily reports of dead birds and are asking the public to help report bird mortality in particular with ducks, geese, swans, seagulls, eagles, buzzards, crowd and ravens.
Kjerringholmen, Fredrikstad, Viken, Norway

44 percent increase in unique ships entering Canada's Northwest Passage, says report
The number of ships entering Canada's Northwest Passage, and the distances sailed, are all increasing, says a new report from the Arctic Council.
Eye on the Arctic

Unidentified Waxy Substance
Unusual waxy, white substance washed up on beach.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
Chyna Williams, Johanna Tellman, Tom Okey

Carbon dioxide spikes to critical record, halfway to doubling preindustrial levels
The concentration of the heat-trapping gas topped 420 parts per million, while the planet has warmed more than two degrees. This is the highest daily average concentration to be recorded. Data was collected at the Mauna Loa Observatory on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii
Washington Post

Russia's Arctic coast warmest since records started, says weather service
Parts of Northern Siberia were up to 7℃ warmer than normal in 2020. The warming is the most significant along parts of the North Siberian coast, and especially around the peninsulas of Taymyr and Yamal. This has been brought on, in part, by polar vortex on the Arctic coast.
Taymyr Peninsula, Russia
Eye on the Arctic

Rare salmon shark spotted near Catalina Island
Salmon sharks are rarely seen this far south; typically they swim off Alaska and in the northern Pacific Ocean where they have access to their favorite food.
San Pedro, California, United States
Orange County Register

Harp seal pups dying on beach as winter sea ice fails
A harp seal pup sits on a snow-covered beach near the town of Blanc-Sablon, Québec, in early March. Normally harp seals give birth and raise their pups on sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but this year’s ice coverage is at an all-time low, throwing pups’ survival into jeopardy.
Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Canada
National Geographic

Some Alaska seals are getting skinnier — probably because of retreating sea ice
As sea ice off Alaska continues its long-term vanishing trend, two seal species that depend on ice may be showing the effects in their bodies. Ribbon seals, distinctive for their black-and-white striped patterns on their fur, and spotted seals, known for their speckled coats, became thinner over time.

Magne Vorland got grey shark – shattered 43 year old Norwegian record
Magne Vorland (27) was surprised when he saw what was coming to the surface. "Unusual," says the expert.
Ålfjorden, Rogaland, Norway

The sea is getting warmer
The sea temperatures around Iceland have been higher than the average for the past 20 years, and the sea around the whole country has become more acidic, according to data recorded by the Marine Research Institute.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
RÚV

Zebra mussels on Marimo moss balls are causing an emergency in WA
Moss balls imported from Ukraine to pet shops in the United States have been found to house the invasive Zebra mussel. Once in bodies of water, this mussel reproduces rapidly and wreaks havoc on ecosystems.
Seattle, Washington, United States
Crosscut

Largest cold-stunned sea turtle event in recorded history
Preliminary numbers say this was the largest cold-stunning event in recorded U.S. history.
Coastal Texas, United States
kiiitv.com

Early humpback sighting
A humpback whale spotted off Bremer Bay late last week is believed to be the earliest sighting ever of the species on WA’s south coast. Humpback whales are usually spotted of WA's south coast in late March or early April. The whale's early appearance has prompted concerns from scientists about the lack of food stocks in Antarctica.
Bremer Submarine Canyon
ABC News

Offshore SeaBirds Feel Effects of Warmer Ocean Waters
Coastal seabirds have experienced significant die-offs in Western Alaska the past few years. But recent results suggest that offshore birds are also feeling the impact of low ice and warming ocean temperatures in the Bering Sea.
Bering Sea
KNOM Radio Mission

Red sea mystery off Hawke's Bay coast
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council is taking tests and awaiting results from a likely algal bloom spreading across the sea off the Hawke's Bay coast. Coastwatchers say the reddish-brown discolouration has been growing over several weeks – visitors to the Bluff Hill lookout reported what may have been its early signs on January 31, when it appeared to be coming from a ship apparently circling at sea off the Port of Napier.
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
NZ Herald

Dust-like deposit on water along beach
White, dust-like deposit on the beach on sunny day after high tides. Water samples would be required for identification.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States
Dean Stockwell, Arlene Gunderson, Thomas Farrugia

Police believe large numbers of dead fish have a natural explanation
In Eikefjorden in Kinn municipality, large quantities of dead horse mackerel recently washed ashore. The whole thing will probably end up as a meal for birds and other fish-interested animals, the police say. The cause of the fish kill remains a mystery.
Eikefjord, Kinn, Vestland

Lack of sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence means more seals on shore
Record-low levels of sea ice cover in the Gulf of St. Lawrence means a greater number of seals are coming on shore and are more likely to interact with humans.
Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, Canada
CBC

Record-low ice levels found in Gulf of St. Lawrence
This year's seasonal ice cover is the lowest in its 51-year recorded history say forecasters with the Canadian Ice Service.
Gulf of St. Lawrence

Two more Russian tankers transit Bering Strait
Two more Russian LNG tankers made history earlier this month passing through the North Sea Route, which extends along the northern coast of Russian Asia, in late January, the latest commercial ship
Diomede, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Mild Temperatures and North Winds Contribute to Low Sea Ice Extent in Bering
Sea ice extent in the Bering Sea was at record low levels at the end of 2020. And with recent strong northerly winds combined with mild temperatures, sea ice coverage in the Bering Strait region is still not ideal.
KNOM Radio Mission

More critically endangered right whale calves spotted off Florida coast
Two more calves have been spotted off the coast of Amelia Island in Florida, increasing the total number of calves seen this season to 11, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Fernandina Beach, Florida, United States
wbal.com

Tanker “Nikolay Yevgenov” damaged by ice on the Northern Sea Route
One of three propulsion units on the tanker “Nikolay Yevgenov” was damaged on January 16 as the vessel approached the Bering Strait. After having sailed with a speed of about 9 knots from Sabetta, the tanker suddenly slowed to 3 knots.
kommersant.ru

Marine species wash up on beaches as red tide hits West Coast
A harmful algal bloom, better known as a red tide, has been building up at Elands Bay on the West Coast, about 220km north of Cape Town.
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
African News Agency

Pink water at Sentosa Cove caused by heavy rainfall
Investigations into the fish die-off and pinkish-purple colour of the Sentosa South Cove waterway earlier this month have found that they were caused by the heavy and persistent rainfall in recent weeks that altered water conditions.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Sentosa
The Straits Times

Russian tanker passes through Bering Strait in the midst of winter
Last week, a 908-foot Russian tanker carrying liquified natural gas passed south through the Russian side of the Bering Strait, with two more to follow. The ships are traversing the northern coast of Siberia, called the North Sea Route, in the middle of January with no icebreaker escort, an unprecedented event that may hint at the future of the region as climate change alters global commerce.
Uelen, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia
The Nome Nugget

Divers Assess Risk of Oil Leak From Sunken Ship
A large feed boat belonging to fish farming company Laxar sunk in Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland last weekend. Vísir reports that divers were sent out to the ship yesterday to assess the risk of oil leakage from the vessel, which contains around 10,000 litres of diesel oil in addition to 300 tons of feed.
Reyðarfjörður, East, Iceland
Iceland Review

Orca pod returns to the Broughton Archipelago after more than 20 years
The A5 pod has returned to the Broughton Archipelago, their traditional winter hunting ground, with a brand new baby in tow.
Fife Sound, Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria News
Zoe Ducklow, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Lake Washington sockeye hit record low, another signature Seattle fish at brink of extinction
Some 22,950 sockeye were counted at Ballard’s Hiram Chittenden Locks in 2020, but only about 3,000 made it to the mouth of the Cedar. Another 40 to 50% of those fish typically die on the spawning grounds before they can reproduce.A vortex of climate change, urbanization and predators endangers a beloved species.
Seattle Times

Strange electric rays wash up on Provincetown beach
Researchers document unusual find: 31 torpedo rays wash up on Provincetown beach just after Christmas.
Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States
Cape Cod Times

Sperm whale washes up in Ponte Vedra Beach
A dead 14-foot pygmy sperm whale washed ashore on Ponte Vedra Beach on Friday morning behind the Sawgrass Beach Club.
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States
WJXT

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