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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

Spring flowers bloom very early
The winter holiday offers 15 degrees (C) of heat and spring flowers.
Lavik, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Company) Sogn og Fjordane

Swordfish becoming much more common in Vesterålen
n 52 years, 36 observations of the species have been recorded in Norway. This one included.
Sortland, Nordland, Norway
NRK

We get warmer and warmer later in the year
In Etne in Hordaland, 30.4 degrees of heat were measured at 15 today. Never has it been so hot so late in the year in Norway.
Etne, Hordaland, Norway
NRK
Oddleif Løset, Birger Kolsrud Jåsund and Geir Bjarte Hjetland

Yukon ice conditions unusual this year, says snowmobile association
'This year especially there's been lots of reports of thin ice and open water in places where there hasn't been in previous years,' said James Connor of the Klondike Snowmobile Association.
Drury Lake, Yukon
CBC

Black bear wandering around Kincaid Park in the middle of winter? Here’s why.
If high temperatures melt snow and that leads to a bear’s den getting flooded, that’s another reason the bear might head outside. It’ll likely try to find another den, Farley said.
Kinkaid Park
Anchorage Daily News

Yukon Quest's route shortened this year because of lack of snow
For safety dogs and mushers will be trucked from Braeburn to Carmacks.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
CBC

Another bad year for sargassum seaweed forecast for Quintana Roo
Large quantities of sargassum are likely to wash up on the beaches of Mexico’s Caribbean coast in 2019, according to a researcher.
Atlantic Ocean
Mexico News Daily

Windstorm and Widespread Forest Blowdown
Damage assessment underway due to fallen trees, hanging debris
Whisky Creek, British Columbia
Port Alberni Valley News

Amid environmental grief, finding hope in a graveyard of yellow cedar
One ecologist wonders, for the yellow cedar forests and the people who care about them, what comes after climate change and environmental loss in Southeast Alaska?
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Elizabeth Jenkins, Alaska's Energy Desk - Juneau

A jellyfish ‘epidemic’ has Australian scientists wondering if climate change is to be blamed
More than 13,000 stings were recorded in Queensland alone last week, with more than 2,500 people seeking treatment over the weekend, according to rescue organizations.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
BostonGlobe.com

Thousands of Queensland beachgoers stung by swarm of jellyfish
Surf Life Saving Queensland said a “whopping” 3,595 people were stung by jellyfish, forcing the closure of popular swimming spots across the northern state. Lifeguards said the invasion was caused by unusually strong north-easterly winds.
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
The Independent

Decline of mountain bird populations
Some species have experienced a much greater decline than average. For the snowflake in Scandinavia there is talk of approx. 35 percent, patchwork 25 percent.
Vadsø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
NRK, Norwegian Broadcasting Company

Extreme cold warning issued for Behchoko, Whati and Wekweeti
The temperatures are expected to be –40 C, and with extreme wind chills it will feel colder than –50 C.. Environment Canada wrote that if it’s;too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside.
Whati, Wekweeti & Behchoko, NWT
CBC

The changing nature of Canada's forest supply as fires, bugs, and climate bite
Mills in the heart of Canada's timber industry have fallen quieter this winter as wildfires and infestations made worse by climate change have made vast tracts of once valuable forest into barren stands of dead trees.
Fraser Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Alaska Highway News

Heart of White Rock breaks along with pier
Long time White Rock resident and CBC Producer Joan Marshall reflects on what the pier has meant to her and her community.
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada

Late Freeze up in Lower Kuskokwim
Late freeze on the Lower Kuskokwim produced ice conditions unsafe for travel in November.
Oscarville, Alaska, United States

She lives where the soil heats up the fastest
People in Longyearbyen have replaced parkas with a shell jacket. They must calculate with rainfall in January and February. Both snowmobiles and dogs must be parked. People are annoyed and disappointed. Others are very concerned.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
NRK

String of collapses at Del Mar bluffs
Officials press forward with emergency plan following string of collapses at Del Mar bluffs.
Del Mar, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

White-winged Dove Sighted
After a day of birding on P.E.I., an Island woman returned home to find a rare white-winged dove at her backyard feeder.
Stratford, Prince Edward Island, Canada

California fires: Number of missing soars over 1,000 as Paradise reels from unfathomable losses
The death toll in the Camp fire in Northern California rose to 63 Thursday as President Trump planned to visit California to meet with people impacted by the wildfires in what marks his second trip to the state since his election.
Paradise, California, United States
latimes.com
Alene Tchekmedyian, Nicole Santa Cruz, Javier Panzar

Caribbean swamped by seaweed that smells like rotten eggs
From Belize to Barbados, tourist beaches have been swamped by huge tides of foul-smelling sargassum – and climate change could make the problem worse
Ambergris Caye, Belize, Belize
the Guardian

Hundreds of sea lions take over docks of Cowichan Bay
A raucous crowd has moved into Cowichan Bay and the volume and odour coming from them is wafting for blocks around. Locals estimate over 300 sea lions have descended on the Cowichan community and their presence is proving a huge tourist draw.
Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

'New normal' ferocious winds whip up deadly California fires
Two deadly wildfires fueled by "devil winds" tore through opposite ends of California on Sunday, with residents urged to heed evacuation orders by officials forced to leave their own homes. In northern California, the Camp Fire is one of the deadliest and most destructive in the state'
Paradise, California, United States
Reuters

Ecological collapse of Toronto's ravine system has begun, researcher says
Ravines in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
CBC News

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) die-off French Beach
Many mature Sitka spruce trees dying off from French Beach south into Sooke along waterfront. Many dead partway up and needles thin.
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Elizabeth Graham, Jacob Earnshaw, Robin Mulvey

Three new humpback whales identified off east Vancouver Island
Three new humpback whales have been identified off the East Coast of Vancouver Island as that species makes a massive comeback in our waters.
Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) living near Race Rocks
Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, British Columbia, Canada

Possible green Halloween on the horizon in Fairbanks
With Halloween just over a week out, Fairbanks is looking at the potential of a third straight year with minimal snow cover, and a possible first ever green Halloween.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

'A really, really significant sighting': Vancouver Island birdwatchers aflutter over unusual arrival
It's believed the pine bunting has never been seen south of Alaska — until this week.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Record levels of toxic blue-green algae invade Lake Agawam in Southampton
Toxic blue-green algae were found in record levels in Southampton’s Lake Agawam earlier this month, capping a summer during which a dozen South Fork lakes and ponds were closed due to high levels of the harmful bacteria.
Southampton, New York, United States
Newsday

Spread of the Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) into Southern Ontario
Welland, Ontario, Canada

Seaweed Takes Over Popular Beach at the Grand Turk Cruise Center
Sargassum Seaweed has invaded the beach at the Grand Turk cruise center which is popular with cruise ship passengers.
Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands
Cruise Hive

The seaweed deluge hitting Caribbean shores
Sargassum, a type of seaweed, is creating problems as it washes up across the Caribbean.
Caribbean Shores
BBC News

Man killed, member of search party injured in Eagle River bear attacks
Michael Soltis’ death is the second fatal bear attack in the Anchorage municipality in two summers.
Eagle River, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News
Michelle Theriault Boots, ADN - Matt Tunseth, Alaska Star

What is Eating Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) Leaves?
Mount Tolmie, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Sargassum on the south coast
Newport, Curacao
Curaçao Chronicle

A Lesser Queenfish (Scomberoides lysan) near Sydney
Potential Range Extension. Identification verified by Tom Davis, NSW Department of Primary Industries. Depth: 2 m.
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Redmap

Sounds of Skating on Thin Ice
This small lake outside Stockholm, Sweden, emits otherworldly sounds as Mårten Ajne skates over its precariously thin, black ice.
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
National Geographic

Fierce storm drops a foot of snow on Anchorage in 24 hours
The storm that walloped Southcentral Alaska also left about 32 inches of snow in Moose Pass and 30 in Seward.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Detah ice road ties record for latest opening
The ice road between Detah and Yellowknife is opening Friday, a date that ties a decades-old record.
Yellowknife Ice Road, NWT

Rain on snow event in the French Alps
Photograph illustrates the impact of a rain-on-snow event during the winter of 2018.
Courchevel, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Anchorage Area Rarity – Hawfinch
Location:  Two locations in the same Hillside neighborhood:  1st Location:  Metz Court, 2nd Location:  Park Hills Drive – Anchorage,
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Audubon Society

Simla had probably been stuck here for a couple of days: Shows the dangers of littering along the fjord
Reindeer stuck in local trash. Blue markings can also be seen on body. Mayor Frank M. Ingilæ and his two dogs came to the rescue for this fight Wednesday.
Torhop, Tana kommune, Troms and Finnmark County, Norway
iFinnmark

Warm winter sets back construction of Dettah ice road
Construction is beginning today on the ice road connecting Yellowknife to Dettah on the N.W.T.'s Yellowknife Bay, but a warm November means that it will open in January for the second time since the 2006/2007 season, and the second year in a row.
Yellowknife Ice Road, NWT

2 Your Health: What to do if you get Swimmer's Itch
When temperatures are warm enough, it's a time many Alaskans take their families out swimming. Sometimes the fun comes along with an annoying rash known as 'Swimmer's Itch.'
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
KTUU

Stinking mats of seaweed piling up on Caribbean beaches
Some tourists have canceled summer trips and lawmakers on Tobago have termed the sargassum invasion a “natural disaster.”
Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Miami Herald

Caribbean-bound tourists cancel holidays due to foul-smelling seaweed
Algal blooms threaten the economies of the globe’s most tourism dependent nations, scuttle holidays plans and give climate scientists more to worry about
Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico
the Guardian

Thawing and Eroding Trail
Permafrost thaw is causing trail in Golovin to erode.
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Worst grasshopper infestation ever on tap for Prairies
Prairie farmers are facing a grasshopper infestation the likes of which might never have been seen in Western Canada. The last kick from a drought that devastated crops last year.
Saskatchewan, Canada

Tourist boats marooned, farm land parched as drought lowers Europe's rivers
Water levels in rivers, lakes and reservoirs across western Europe are running low, or even dry, amid the severest drought in decades which is putting stress on drinking water supplies, hampering river freight and tourism and threatening crop yields.
Villers-le-Lac, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
Reuters

East Cook Inlet clamming to remain closed again this summer as population still lags
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game found an unexpectedly low number of clams during final surveying, but the agency still plans to monitor them in support of perhaps opening the fishery in years to come.
Clam Gulch, Alaska, United States

Climate change forces removal of historic mountain hut
A historic site in Yoho National Park will be dismantled and removed this spring because of effects caused by climate change, Parks Canada announced Thursday.
Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin National Historic Site

Kenow wildfire burns north through park and beyond, but Waterton townsite spared
Lashing at the western boundaries of Waterton Lakes National Park since Friday, the Kenow wildfire’s devastating journey across the continental divide tore a fiery path through the beloved southwestern Alberta park — mercifully sparing much of the townsite but broke north along the entrance highway.
Waterton Park, Alberta, Canada
calgaryherald

‘Receding before our eyes:’ Vancouver Island glaciers likely to be all gone by mid-century
Retired logger Fred Fern has been taking photos of the Comox Glacier every year since 2013, and the receding ice mass is easy to see in the images. Using Google Earth, Fern has calculated the Comox Glacier lost 15 vertical feet after this summer’s heat — and as much as 120 vertical feet since his first photo in 2013.
vancouversun

Lack of snow adds to training challenge for Yukon Quest musher
In less than a month, the Yukon Quest will get underway in Whitehorse. But one first-time entrant says she hasn't touched her dog sled at all yet, because of the unusual weather conditions.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

While the search for Utqiagvik whale researcher continues, his friends and family reflect on his role in the community
John Craighead "Craig" George was swept under a logjam last Wednesday on the Chulitna River near Cantwell, Alaska State Troopers said. The dive team responded to the area Friday morning but found that the water was too high to deploy.The rafting party was decending when they encountered an unusual amount of logjams.
Cantwell, Alaska, United States
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

Ice Out: How N.H.'s rite of spring has become a symbol of climate change
Ice is a key player not only in the culture of the northern Northeast, but also in its unique lake ecosystems – a determinant of everything from water temperature to aquatic food chains to water quality. And according to long-term climate data, ice-out has been moving earlier and earlier.
Center Harbor, New Hampshire, United States
Yahoo News

North Saskatchewan River Turns Blue
The river, which starts at the Saskatchewan Glacier in the Columbia Icefields and flows through to central Saskatchewan, is usually murky brown by the time it reaches Edmonton in summer. In recent weeks, however, the water has taken on the hues of Alberta's glacial lakes, thanks to dry, hot weather combined with maintenance at a major dam.
North Saskatchewan River, Alberta, Canada

Sounding the alarm about the lobster population: We must reverse the trend now
The lobster population along the Norwegian coast is much worse off than first thought. New research shows a huge decline.
Arendal, Agder, Norway

Warm weather in Alaska highlights risk climate change poses to future Arctic Winter Games
After a warm Arctic Winter Games in Alaska, some officials and coaches have suggested moving the games up from March to February in an effort to ensure that temperatures are cold enough for winter sports.
Palmer, Alaska, United States

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