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

Alyeska Resort closes mountain operations amid ‘severe weather’
Avalanche monitors say danger remains high in Turnagain Pass, Girdwood and Portage.
Girdwood, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

2 adults, child die after crashing through ice
The Arctic Sounder - Serving the Northwest Arctic and the North Slope
Noatak, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

Southwest Alaska village ‘on edge’ after fox and dog test positive for rabies
Adding to the concerns are stories of increasingly aggressive foxes in Marshall and other villages. It appears to be a strong year for the fox population, a state biologist said. Marshall is shooting stray dogs to protect village residents.
Marshall, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

‘Wall of ice’ from Susitna River damages railroad tracks
A 7-foot "wall of ice" from a Susitna River ice jam slammed into Alaska Railroad tracks north of Talkeetna on Saturday, pushing the rails 25 feet off course, the railroad said Monday.The Alaska Railroad is racing to make repairs in time for the start of its tourist season on Wednesday.
Talkeetna, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Erosion is creeping toward Alaska’s coastal radar sites
The Air Force is trying to better understand the erosion bearing down on its valuable radar sites.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States

Storms pummel Bering Sea islands after ‘crazy’ ice melt-off
Recent storms and warm seas melted a vast stretch of ice in the Bering Sea, leaving some islands surrounded by water when they should be locked in ice.
Diomede, Alaska, United States

Trash and a shortage of wild foods are creating a ‘perfect storm’ of bear trouble in Alaska cities
Black bears have taken over a Juneau arboretum, shut down a fish-cleaning facility in Cordova and added to an unusually high year of bear kills in Anchorage, prompting one wildlife authority to call this summer the "craziest" year of bear encounters he's seen.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Inside one man’s quest to photograph the elusive ‘Iliamna Lake monster’
“Something” big has shredded fishing gear and long been spotted in the lake. Bruce Wright plans to use a deepwater camera to find it.
Iliamna, Alaska, United States

Oily water continues to ooze into Port Valdez as snow on the ground complicates response
The source of the spill, a drain area about a quarter-mile uphill from the coastline, was stopped on Monday, authorities reported. And oil on the water has been contained to a site near a small boat harbor at the terminal where tankers load up with oil.
Valdez, Alaska, United States

Giant ice craters, ruts and street-squeezing snow berms: Anchorage road conditions are improving but still causing chaos
Auto shops are seeing more business because of damaged tires, and drivers are often inching through a messy maze of bad road conditions. Road crews are making headway but still catching up from unfavorable weather last month.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Add krill and mussels to the list of unusual marine deaths in Northwest Alaska
Village wildlife observers worry that the unusual warmth of oceans off Alaska is causing problems throughout the ecosystem.
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

6.4 earthquake was the strongest ever recorded in region
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake rattled a remote region of Alaska's North Slope southeast of Prudhoe Bay Sunday morning. The state seismologist called it the biggest quake ever recorded in the region.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States
Arctic Sounder

Bowhead whales, dwellers of icy seas, enjoy steady growth off Alaska in the age of climate change
Sea ice has shrunk, but scientists are seeing signs that Alaska's bowhead whales are flourishing.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Shooting of bear highlights ‘infestation’ in Cordova after poor salmon returns
Residents speculate the black bears are venturing into town because they're hungry, after a poor run of pink salmon and rainy weather that hurt the abundance of berries, limiting food for the animals.
Cordova, Alaska, United States

State investigates Prudhoe Bay wells after a second North Slope well ‘jacked up’ and leaked oil and gas
The incident appears similar to an oil and gas release in 2017 blamed on thawing permafrost and hot production fluids.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States

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

State reroutes Dalton Highway to protect motorists from migrating ‘blob’
Transportation engineers moved the road to avoid a giant mass of frozen debris sliding downhill.
Livengood, Alaska, United States

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

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.
Gambell, Alaska, United States

Severely iced-over cellular tower causing service disruptions in Western Alaska
A GCI cell tower in Western Alaska encapsulated in unusually thick ice and snow has caused service disruptions in villages.
Scammon Bay, Alaska, United States

‘Bachelor herds’ of walrus gather near Port Heiden, where they haven’t been seen in decades
The herds are increasingly moving around in Bristol Bay, perhaps seeking new feeding grounds, a biologist said.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States

Walruses suffer from similar disease afflicting Alaska ringed seals
Pacific walruses are beaching on Northwest Alaska shores, peppered with bleeding skin legions that have been observed on dying ringed seals in Arctic Alaska, according to federal biologists.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States

With no dam to stop it, the Eklutna River is temporarily reborn. Many people hope to keep it alive for good.
Conservation and tribal groups in 2018 removed a downstream dam in the river northeast of Anchorage. But an upriver dam provides the cheapest energy in Southcentral Alaska. For people from the Native Village of Eklutna the river’s rebirth was an important moment. They want the 12-mile-long waterway permanently restored, along with the salmon their late elders once described as abundant.
Knik-Fairview, Alaska, United States

If you live in Florida, climate change is already affecting your health
Climate change is already impacting Floridians health, doctors say, and it's going to get worse in the future. That's why Florida doctors and nurses formed Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, an educational and activist group dedicated to teaching people and politicians about the dangers of climate change on human health.
Florida, United States
Miami Herald

Hazy, smokey skies continue to blanket parts of the N.W.T. prompting health advisories
Lutselk'e, N.W.T. is one of several communities in the Northwest Territories that has been blanketed by smoke over the past few days thanks to strong south winds blowing smoke up north from fires burning south of Great Slave Lake.
Lutselk'e, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC News

Red tide has contributed to the deaths of nearly 190 Florida manatees, FWC says
Red tide has contributed to or is suspected in the deaths of nearly 190 manatees so far this year.
Florida, United States
WFTS

Winter Heat Wave: Kodiak temperature breaks state record-highs
Kodiak residents went to the trails on Sunday, taking advantage of record-breaking high temperatures. The Kodiak Airport reported temperatures reached 65 degrees that day, the warmest temperature ever recorded in Kodiak between Oct. 5 and April 21 of any year.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

Hummingbird moths spotted in Yellowknife gardens
The moths hover in the air like hummingbirds, rapidly flapping their wings as they move from flower to flower, feeding on the nectar — and they've been seen in Yellowknife.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC News

Heavy snow and thick ice could mean trouble for Aklavik's spring melt, says local
Spring is still months away in the Northwest Territories, but people are already looking ahead at the spring breakup season. In Aklavik, some see signs that could point to heavy flooding, a lot of snowfall, very high snow piles all over town and thick ice.
Aklavik, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Unauthorized driving, wetter-than-normal spring behind Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway closures | CBC News
This spring’s closures on the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway are a result of unusually wet weather and drivers failing to respect road closures, according to engineers with the Northwest Territories Infrastructure Department.
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Authorities, residents brace for record flooding
Weather authorities and residents are getting used to responding to glacial floods in the Mendenhall Valley.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Climate change opening up the door for invasive species in the North
Invasive species are a more important issue as increasingly warm winters and wetter summers help grasslands and forests in the North grow like never before, changing the very fabric of the North’s ecosystem.
Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

A nightmare trip, how drivers handled the mud on the Mackenzie Valley winter road
One of the main winter highways in the Northwest Territories turned into a swamp this week following unseasonably high temperatures.
Mackenzie Valley

Floods close bridge, but no injuries reported
The torrential rain, exceptional even by Juneau’s standards, comes courtesy of Typhoon Lan, whose remnants have left Asia.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Support

Observation Template