LEO Network

About the LEO Network
The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
Continue

Observations

Lakes Have Curious Color
Observers from a small plane reported unusual green color in lakes and ponds, raising concerns about lake health and the potential for invasive species.
Chefornak, Alaska, United States
Alyssa Leary, Joey Billy, Thomas Farrugia, Brian Lefferts, Edda Mutter

Lack of drainage causing road problems
An unusual spring thaw in Hooper Bay, Alaska, has led to persistent ponding on roads due to inadequate drainage, prompting the city to use sandbags and cut drainage channels to manage the water.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Three foxes test positive for rabies in Hooper Bay
Three foxes in Hooper Bay have tested positive for rabies, prompting health officials to urge pet owners to vaccinate their animals and stay alert for signs of the disease.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Newtok shuts down its critical infrastructure
Newtok, a community in Alaska, has shut down power and water services as part of a relocation effort due to permafrost deterioration and coastal erosion dangers.
Newtok, Alaska, United States
KYUK

All public services decommissioned and shut down: Newtok's end is imminent
Newtok faces imminent shutdown due to severe infrastructure risks and erosion, with remaining residents relocating to temporary homes in Mertarvik.
Newtok, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Disappearing sand dunes and plovers
Sand dunes disappear with more frequent and powerful storms in Western Alaska. These storms have impacted bird nesting grounds and tundra plants.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Dozens of Newtok students attend classes in a school that’s coming apart
Rapid erosion and permafrost degradation mean school district officials are in a race to shore up the building for the remainder of the school year.
Newtok, Alaska, United States
KYUK

Avian Influenza suspected on Yukon Delta
Dead birds suspected to have died from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza have been found on Kigigak Island and Tutakoke River in Alaska, with other bird species displaying unusual behaviors.
Kigigak Island and Tutakoke River, Alaska, United States
January Frost, Bryan Daniels, Andrew Ramey, Bob Gerlach, Brian Lefferts, Sarah Yoder, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Joey Billy, John Stedman

First bird flu casualty detected in Southwestern Alaska pending confirmation
As of June 1, laboratory testing was still underway and had not yet fully confirmed which variant of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza the migratory bird had, and there are other possible detections this year, according to Alaska State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach.
Southwestern Alaska, United States

September storm leaves behind treasured beach finds
The remnants of Typhoon Merbok not only battered Alaska’s west coast in September, the storm also left behind a few treasures in its wake.
Chevak, Alaska, United States

After September storm, Newtok residents are desperate to relocate
Melting permafrost and severe erosion have plagued the community for decades. The most recent storm brought waves so fierce, the water claimed roughly half of the 80 or so remaining feet of land that stands between the back end of the school and the edge of the Ningliq river.

Severe Erosion in Newtok
A site visit to Newtok on September 30, shows severe erosion from impacts of storm (typhoon Merbok). The images show both severe permafrost melt and river erosion.

Chevak rallies to repair storm-damaged subsistence gear
During a community meeting, Chevak residents said better emergency planning should be a long-term priority. For now, though, assessing damage is the focus.
Chevak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Emily Schwing, special to Alaska Public Media

As the storm raged, a mad rush to keep the power on in Hooper Bay
The storm could have threatened the town’s winter subsistence stock if not for the work of local power plant operators.
KTOO

Storm unearths ancient tusks
The aftermath of Typhoon Merbok left fuel tanks floating and home flooded, but locals also saw an opportunity.

Storm bounty in clams
Storms can bring a bounty to the beach - driftwood sometimes or in this case, clams! But be careful out there. There are new concerns about emerging levels of harmful algae in Western Alaska waters, which could impact shellfish and human health.
Mertarvik, Alaska, United States
Louisa Castrodale, Chris Dankmeyer, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Gay Sheffield, Racheal Lee, Bob Gerlach, Brian Lefferts, Emma Pate, Joanna Barton, Julie Matweyou, Thomas Farrugia, Karen Pletnikoff

Typhoon Merbok in Tununak
On September 17, 2023 Typhoon Merbok hit the coast of Tununak, Alaska. Here are some photos taken by Roseanne Panruk, after the storm caused by Typhoon Merbok
Tununak, Alaska, United States
John Walter Jr, James Benzschawel, Max Neale

Unusual bird behavior and illness observed across species on Yukon Delta
"Since about May 25, crews have been seeing multiple species showing what we believe are signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The signs we are seeing widespread is a headshaking that we equate to "getting the cobwebs out", like a person may do when they first wake up. This behavior occurs regularly every couple minutes. This behavior has been observed in: black brant, cackling geese, bar-tailed godwits, dunlin, lapland longspurs, spectacled eiders, emperor geese, greater white-fronted geese, sabines gulls, glaucous gulls, and red-necked phalaropes."
Kimberlee Beckmen, Angela Matz, Louisa Castrodale, Gay Sheffield, Bob Gerlach, Michael Bruce, Andrew Ramey, Eric Taylor, Eric Taylor, Bryan Daniels, Rose Kalistook, Brian Lefferts, Brian Berube, Raphaela Stimmelmayr

Strange behavior in a Canada goose
This video shot on Thursday May 19th, shows the erratic circling behavior of a Canada goose. Although the cause is unknown, this type of behavior is according to USGS, "highly suggestive" of an infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
Gay Sheffield, Angela Matz, Rose Kalistook, Louisa Castrodale, PATRICIA SCHWALENBERG, Tim Thomas, Kimberlee Beckmen, Desirae Mack, Mike Brook, Bob Gerlach, Megan Boldenow, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Erica Stone, Michael Bruce, Andrew Ramey

Hooper Bay working to contain sewage spill that is threatening important subsistence location
The spill followed a sudden rise in warm temperatures in recent days. Hooper Bay Mayor Sandra Hill said that the thaw and rain had melted the previously frozen land surrounding the sewage lagoon, causing a wall of the lagoon to cave.

Where are tomcods / Naugat Ceturr'nat (Eleginus gracilis)? Chefornak
Not a single catch was reported in the village of Chefornak. Meanwhile in Kivalina, dozens and dozens of tomcods are pictured and posted on "The Alaska Life" Facebook page.
Chefornak, Alaska, United States

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

Summer thawing impacts on utility poles and shoreline
Thawing permafrost and erosion is resulting in the loss of infrastructure in Newtok. These images show impacts on utility poles, and the shoreline.

Hunt opens for musk ox stranded on ice floes
The musk ox were stranded on the ice floes after wandering onto the sea ice during breakup.
Mekoryuk, Alaska, United States

YKHC Urges Pets Get Rabies Vaccines After Rabid Foxes Found
Three foxes from three Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities have tested positive for rabies in recent weeks.
Nightmute, Alaska, United States

Sinkhole opens under Chefornak home, forcing family to evacuate
In Chefornak, a family was forced to evacuate their home because a sinkhole caused by thawing permafrost formed underneath it. That family had to move into a building intended to be a quarantine facility.
Chefornak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Covid had spared Alaska’s most remote villages. Not anymore.
Almost 20 percent of residents in one town have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Washington Post

Sunken Earth
Permafrost thaw is causing tundra to sink and pool water.

White Spots in Smelts Appear to Be a Type of Tapeworm or Nematode
The white spots found in the smelt appear to be tapeworm or nematode larvae. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend cooking fish at about 153 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes or freezing the fish at -4 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 days to kill the larvae before you eat the fish.

Storm Brings Flooding in Newtok
A storm system during the last week of November brought high winds and seas to Newtok and other western Alaska communities.
Jacqualine Schaeffer, David Beveridge, Brian Lefferts, Edward "Ted" Smith, Gavin Dixon

Winter Storm Batters Western Alaska Coast, Taking Out Power And Sea Ice
A big winter storm came in from the Bering Sea and battered the Western Alaska coast from the evening of Nov. 25 through Nov. 26. Some communities, like Hooper Bay, have reported flooding.

Unusual Rusty Tussock Caterpillar (Orgyia antiqua)
"This is the first time I've seen this kind of caterpillar in this area."
Toksook Bay, Alaska, United States

Heat Wave Hits Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
People living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta felt something unusual this past holiday weekend: a heat wave. Temperatures crept close to 90 degrees in many parts of the region.

Cone Clouds
Unusual cone clouds in the air likely produced precipitation that evaporated before reaching the ground, due to unusually warm conditions.
Toksook Bay, Alaska, United States

Snowmachiner watches wild dogs take down musk ox in Western Alaska
Patrick Jones, wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game, said he has heard of dogs killing moose, caribou and a days-old musk ox calf, but nothing like this attack.
Toksook Bay, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Two rare earthquakes shake western Alaska coast
Two quakes shook the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Tuesday night about 45 miles offshore of the community of Hooper Bay.
Anchorage Daily News

Late blooming iris (Iris setosa) and lowbush cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
During fall time, we only hand pick when the blackberries turn brown. As I was picking I saw this wild iris, like it bloomed just a few days ago. I was very awed to see this flower in October.

Dead Sea Mammal and Sea Birds on the Beach
Residents of Chevak and Hooper Bay found two species of sea bird either dead or approachable near the mouth of the Kiuqliiviq and Aprun rivers near fish camps. Residents of Hooper Bay also found a dead sea mammal on the beach.

Blackline Prickleback (Acantholumpenus mackayi) Caught While Fishing For Herring
Blackline Prickleback (*Acantholumpenus mackayi*) caught along the Bering Sea Coast

Unusual Species (Ross's Gull?) Sighted
Ross's gull (*Rhodostetia rosea*) spotted in Hooper Bay, south of normal species range.

A respected outdoorsman, this 26-year-old was traveling to get firewood when he disappeared
When Jazmin James hadn’t returned to Tununak by Easter Sunday as planned, the family reported him missing. His snowmachine was found on sea ice, partly submerged in water.
Tununak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Chefornak bands together to combat climate change
This is not the first time this village has faced the threat of erosion and flooding, but relocating won’t be as easy as it was last time.

Amid warm winter, scientists say Alaska sea ice conditions are ‘shockingly bad’
That hurts coastal communities that hunt on the ice. But colder weather may be coming, at least to some portions of Alaska. Ice should be hugging the coast near the village of Gambell, perched on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, said Mayor Susan Apassingok, on Tuesday. But ice isn't there.
Pacific Ocean-Bering Sea, East Coast, Alaska, United States

In Newtok, residents worry the encroaching river will destroy a way of life
When the river takes the first houses, the village could start to scatter. And Newtok’s blend of the modern and traditional could erode away with the land.
Rachel Waldholz, Alaska's Energy Desk - Anchorage

Citing safety concerns, airlines refuse to fly to permafrost-damaged Tununak Airport
About a year ago, Tununak opened a $19 million, state-of-the-art airport, but shifting permafrost is buckling the runway.
Tununak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Shifting permafrost threatens Alaska village's new airport
Tununak Airport near Bethel is facing a catastrophic problem, as airlines are refusing to land there due to the village's shifting permafrost.
CBC News

"Glowing" Tomcod (Microgadus proximus) in the dark - plankton?
I notice fluorescent glowing in the dark: happens to be the tomcods I caught the other day.

A tale of two goose populations: Y-K Delta’s shrink, Arctic coast’s expands
Black brant populations are struggling in the species' once-dominant Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta breeding areas, but conditions are better for brant breeding on the Arctic coastline.
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Beach Sand - Coastal Erosion
We are losing coastline due to erosion and this is a sad sight to witness.
Sandra Hill, Jacquelyn Overbeck, Mary Mullan

Drying Ponds and Buttercups
I went to gather some yesterday and there was no water to speak of; in a pond that's has been filled with water my whole life.

Newtok asks: Can the U.S. deal with slow motion climate disasters?

White Fish (C. nelsonii) with Saprolegnia Fungus
Had pus on them.

Unknown Butterfly (Polygonia gracilis)
Unknown butterfly observed in southwest Alaska.

Very Vary Berry Land
An abundant harvest of various berries this year.

Early Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus)
Early Salmonberries (Rubus chamaemorus)

Early and Abundant Salmonberries (Rubus chamaemorus)
Early and abundant salmonberries (Rubus chamaemorus)

Bluff Erosion
Bluff/cliff side erosion along the Ningikfak River.

Early Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) Bloom
Early salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) boom

Unusual Atmospheric Rainbow
Unusual atmospheric rainbow-like

Wolf reports (Canis Lupus) on Nelson Island
An unusual visitor, or new neighbor?

Still No Sea Ice
Open water interferes with subsistence practices.
Hajo Eicken, Anna R John, Moses Tcheripanoff

Winter Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) Sighting
The lack of sea ice in Toksook Bay, has allowed for a uniquel sighting - a January beluga whale!

Unusual Flora - Yellowdot Saxifrage (Saxifrage bronchialis)
Unusual Flora
Nelson Island, Alaska, United States
Ben Balivet, Gino Graziano, Matt Carlson

Smokey Air
Smokey air

Jellyfish Bloom
Jellyfish bloom

Deformed Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis)
Deformed halibut (Hippoglossus stenoloepis)
Cape Vancouver, Alaska, United States

Deformed Blackfish
2/27/15 Deformed blackfish - Tooksook Bay, Alaska, USA

Sick Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina)
11-29-14 Sick harbor seal - Chefornak, Alaska, USA
Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Gay Sheffield, Janelle Kinegak

Funnel Cloud
A funnel cloud was sighted minutes after it passed us.
Nightmute, Alaska, United States

Sick Cod
6-12-14 Sick Cod - Tununak, Alaska, USA

Abundant Herring Roe
Abundant herring roe, most ever seen during the low tide - Toksook Bay, Alaska, USA

Early Salmonberry (Rubus chamaemorus) Blossoms
5-27-14 Early salmon berry blossoms - Toksook Bay, Alaska, USA

Seasonal Change
2-25-14 Seasonal change - Nightmute, Alalska, USA
Nightmute, Alaska, USA

Needle Fish with Lesions
Needle fish with lesions observed.

Eroding Bluff Threatens Road
Eroding bluff threatens community transportation access.
Chevak, Alaska, USA

Ice seal mortality

Support

Observation Template