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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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25-30 reindeer drowned in the river today
25-30 reindeer drowned in the Kautokeino River today after a herd of reindeer passed through the ice. The accident happened when the herd of reindeer was crossing the fragile ice on the river. This is the third similar incident in the area in a couple of weeks. Yesterday, three reindeer went through the ice. They were all rescued alive. This article is also available in the Sami language at this
Heammogietti, Kautokeino, Troms og Finnmark fylke, Norway
NRK

After waterspout and tornado warning, B.C. residents told to prepare for another coastal storm
A tornado watch was issued around 5:30 p.m. and rescinded less than an hour later, but the storm caused considerable damage on the University of British Columbia campus. The school is located on a peninsula not far from the airport.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
British Columbia

Earthquake at Bárðarbunga Caldera
Saturday’s incident is notable as Bárðarbunga, a stratovolcano located underneath Iceland’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull, is the second largest volcano on the island. Geophysicist Páll Einarsson told reporters, however, that the powerful earthquakes underneath the volcano this summer were likely due to land rise and that an eruption did not appear to be imminent.
Iceland Review

Earthquake rattles Santa Claus Village
A minor earthquake, described by one resident as "a proper jerk", shook Rovaniemi. Dozens of earthquakes are observed in Finland every year. Typically, however, they are relatively weak, with a magnitude of less than 4.
Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
News

Polar bear with cub visits Diomede School
John Ahkvaluk , 56, a polar bear guard revealed that this is not a good sign for the village. It’s the first time in several years that bears come at this time of the year. “It’s a warning that they got no food out there and they came looking for it here,” he said.
After the incident, Luchie Manlangit, the school principal, and I invited John Ahkvaluk to talk to the kids and to share some protocols if polar bear will come around again.
Diomede, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

This eagle is very, very lost
The native range of the Steller’s sea eagle is typically China, Japan and Korea and the east coast of Russia. While some have flown as far east as western Alaska, none have ever been known to appear near the Atlantic Ocean.
Falmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
The Seattle Times

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

The hunting tick has been discovered in Norway
The tick can carry hemorrhagic diphtheria. The disease is widespread in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In addition, some cases have been seen in southern Europe. The fever can cause serious illness in humans.
Vestby, Akershus, Norway
NRK

Where are the tomcods (Eleginus gracilis)? Chevak
There is usually an abundance of this fish in the fall and early winter season. This is a usual harvest for most YK Delta coastal villages. Note: According to NOAA Bering Sea Bottom Trawl data, there has been an 88% decline reported in the biomass of saffron cod from 2020 to 2021 in the N. Bering Sea.
Chevak, Alaska, United States
Carmen Daggett, Gay Sheffield, Cynthia Paniyak, Jayde Ferguson, Ted Meyers

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

Heavy rain on Halloween
The Matanuska Experiment Farm in Palmer says they got 1 1/8" of rain on Saturday. I think we got more than that, but based on their measurements I would revise my estimate down to 1 1/2 to 2 inches on Saturday.
Chickaloon, Alaska, United States

Heavy rain and wind take toll on Southcentral
A storm that hit Southcentral Alaska on Saturday night led to flooding in Girdwood, a landslide on the Sterling Highway and left thousands of homes without power throughout the region on Sunday morning. More than a foot of rain fell in Girdwood by Sunday.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Rhododendrons blooming in late October
The rhododendron in my garden is now starting to bloom in late October. I researched this and it seems that it's not unheard of and may be related to higher temperatures in the daytime and colder temperatures at night.
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

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

Discovery of fly larvae positive sign for salmon
Volunteers from the Friends of Bowker Creek Society say uncovering caddisfly larvae in the gravel beds of the stream show the water quality has improved to a level sufficient to sustain salmon and cutthroat trout.
Bowker Creek, Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News, Vancouver Island

7 hunters return home after being stranded on the frozen Yukon River for 7 days. Here's their story.
“The ice was so thick flowing down the river. It was forming so fast. It was freezing so fast. Just amazing. I’d never seen anything like that," one of the hunters, Rex Nick, said.
Emmonak, Alaska, United States
KYUK

High winds severed Ketchikan’s connection with the island’s largest hydroelectric dam on Friday
Strong winds whipped across Ketchikan Thursday evening and Friday morning, and a strong morning gust snapped power lines and severed Ketchikan’s connection to the Swan Lake hydropower reservoir.
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Buzzards settle in North Carolina town despite scare tactics
One resident of Bunn, North Carolina, says she counted 58 buzzards — probably turkey vultures — in her yard, on her roof and on a fence. Town officials seem unable to get the birds to leave.
Bunn, North Carolina, United States
WFAE 90.7

Alaskans have been spotting turkey vultures all over the state this year
An unusual bird was sighted in the Yukon Flats village of Chalkyitsik recently. The raptor, uncommon to the state, has also been spotted in a few other Alaska locations. Bird biologist Jim Johnson says there’s broader evidence that the nomadic turkey vulture is expanding north.
Chalkyitsik, Alaska, United States
KUAC

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

Rare clash between two distinct kinds of orcas in the Salish Sea — and the endangered fish-eaters won
Two distinct species of orcas feed and socialize in the waters of Puget Sound: fish-eating endangered southern resident killer whales and transient, or Bigg’s, killer whales, which feed on marine mammals and are more common. They seldom mix.
Point Roberts, Washington, United States
KNKX Public Radio

Wild pigs invade national park
One of the most destructive and rapidly spreading invasive species on the continent has been found for the first time in a Canadian national park.
Elk Island National Park
CTV News, Edmonton

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

Nunavut breaks 47 daily temperature records in 1st 6 days of October
October is off to a warm start for parts of Nunavut. Justin Shelley, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says an upper ridge of high pressure is drawing up warmer than normal air into the territory.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

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

Large number of flies in our home
"We had never before observed a species of the order Diptera, aside from the mosquitos present every year. Around the middle of September this year, however, there was a large influx of houseflies into our home."
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

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