Early bears (?), and snow cover still significant.

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Unusually wet winter weather activity observed. Traveling in early February (AFE) disrupted travel due to weather conditions.

Spring - or rather thermal spring - could be arriving to Finland as early as this week in southern and western areas.

The most recent study noted that Arctic thaw is occurring one to two weeks earlier than the first study, and the North Slope growing season is lengthening by 15 to 21 days. At the same time, however, caribou are maintaining the same reproductive timeline.

Manila Clam (Venerupis philippinarum) Die-off observed - possibly related to freezing temperatures.

Wildlife officials typically tell Yukoners to keep an eye out for bears coming out of hibernation in April. 'We don't generally get sightings reported this time of year.'

In Finland nothing means spring is around the corner more in the south than news that the brown bears at Helsinkis Korkeasaari Zoo have woken from their winters sleep. Zoo employees say the 16 and 11-year-old females hibernation is increasingly cut shorter as the years pass.

No sea ice; hunters say it should not be like this today.

Flowers blooming near the mouth of the Klamath River

A robin was sighted in southcentral Alaska; an early arrival.

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.