When the Smyril Line ferry Norrøna arrived at Seyðisfjørður harbor in Iceland on June 19, crew and port officials discovered a large whale lodged across its bow, likely having been dead or mortally injured before impact.
This season’s minke whales caught in the Barents Sea are notably underweight, with experienced whalers and marine scientists observing unusually thin blubber layers and visible ribs.
Rescue teams in Reykjavík will make a second, high-tide effort this evening to nudge an orca stranded since Tuesday night in the shallow cove of the Grafarvogur neighbourhood back into open waters.
An intense hailstorm in Hov caused multiple large landslides, blocking roads, dislodging a septic tank, and cutting off traditional sheep routes to the sea.
The vessel remained afloat as of Thursday morning, and images gathered by the U.S. Coast Guard showed it was still “alight with smoke emanating” from it.
Researchers on Buldir Island have discovered dead and sick seabirds, including crested auklets and black-legged kittiwakes, exhibiting symptoms consistent with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, such as unusual behavior and hemorrhages, marking a concerning event in this remote Aleutian location.
A spring survey by the Icelandic Marine Research Institute recorded a sea surface temperature of 7.8 °C at Siglunes—3.2 °C above the 1991–2020 average—and found unusually warm, saline water flowing onto the northern continental shelf.
A dead grey whale was discovered near the mouth of the Akwe River, raising concerns about a possible ship collision due to increased marine traffic from cruise ships and fishing boats in the area.
A young Bryde’s whale washed up dead in Port McNeill Bay on northern Vancouver Island, marking the first known sighting of this warm-water species in B.C. waters.
An algal bloom in Northern Norway dominated by Chrysochromulina and Phaeocystis has caused massive fish die-offs in recent weeks, with up to one million farmed fish reported dead around Astafjorden.
Light diesel leaked from an oil company facility into Ramfjorden outside Tromsø, and police, fire crews, Kystverket and the acute pollution committee are working to contain it.
A fish harvester photographed a pitch-black iceberg over 100 km off Labrador in mid-May, prompting social media buzz; a Memorial University professor suggests the ice may be 1,000 to 100,000 years old, its dark hue from ancient sediment or volcanic/meteorite dust.
A bloom of non-toxic Noctiluca algae is lining Saanich Inlet’s shoreline; safe for swimmers and shellfish consumption so far. Scientists say the bloom is not producing toxins yet, but could as the water gets warmer. “This one is a bit early!” said Galbraith.
A six‑meter whale, likely a northern bottlenose whale, washed ashore in Njarðvík at Borgarfjörður Eystri on Good Friday. Locals notified Icelandic environmental authorities, but the carcass may remain on the beach over Easter.
Six tar balls likely from the grounded MSC Baltic III have washed ashore at Cedar Cove, Newfoundland, but underwater inspections by the Canadian Coast Guard show no continuous leak from the ship.
There is unusually low snow coverage and exposed ice on the North Slope. The tundra lakes are more visible and sea ice is lower than normal.
Researchers warn that shorter winter sea ice seasons around Prince Edward Island reduce the coast’s natural defense against winter storms, leading to increased erosion.
A severe storm over the weekend battered businesses at Fiskislóð 31 in Reykjavík, with colossal waves breaching coastal defenses and flooding inland areas, leaving significant structural and economic damage.
Two individuals were swept into the sea near Akranes harbor when a large swell unexpectedly engulfed the area, dragging along cars and a pedestrian. They were rescued by emergency services, with one later transferred to a hospital in Reykjavík.
Seawater breached sea walls in Seltjarnarnes this morning causing major damage to homes and infrastructure, with emergency services working to pump out water and warnings of further flooding tonight.
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