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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

Murre die-off reported around Kodiak
Kodiak Island residents have been reporting a large number of common murres washing up dead on local beaches.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

'Did I really see a mola mola down there?'
Scientists and fishermen have reported more unusual species in Alaska waters, including the subtropical mola mola, or ocean sunfish. It's likely because of warming sea surface temperatures.
Gulf of Alaska, United States
KTOO Public Media

Low Beaver (Castor canadensis) Activity
Beaver activity declining in Campbell Lake area
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

It's a different ocean right now: First great whites, now hammerhead sharks spotted in Orange County waters
Malibu Beach, California, United States
Orange County Register

Why More Hammerhead Sharks Are Popping Up Off Southern California Coast
Huntington Beach, California, United States
CBSLA.com

Polystyrene Debris
Polystyrene debris on beaches
McDonald Spit, Alaska, United States

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

Predaceous Diving Beetle (Cybister fimbriolatus)
Unusual beetle
Nondalton, Alaska, United States

Global Warming Pushes Maple Trees, Syrup to the Brink
The polar bear is a powerful symbol of the effects of climate change in the Arctic.  Here in New England, our symbol may soon be the sugar maple tree.
Durham, New Hampshire, United States
National Geographic

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

Winter Spider
11-24-14 Winter spider - Togiak, Alaska, USA
Togiak, Alaska, United States

Dead Orca (Orcinus orca) Whale
Dead orca observed in the Bering Strait region.
Wales, Alaska, United States

Lions Mane Jellyfish Sighting
11-20-14 Unusual jellyfish - Togiak, Alaska, USA
Togiak, Alaska, Unites States
Kristin Cieciel, Aeshia Upton, Brian Abraham

Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) with Hair Loss
11-18-15 Bearded seal with hair loss - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Winter River Breakup
11-18-14 Winter river break-up - Kongiganak, Alaska, USA
Kongiganak, Alaska, United States

Unseasonably Warm
11-15-14 Unseasonably warm - Kwinhagak, Alaska, USA
Kwinhagak, Alaska, United States

Jellyfish Bloom
11-14-14 Jellyfish bloom Haines, Alaska, USA
Haines, Alaska, United States

Unseasonably Warm
11-13-14 Unseasonable warm - Unalakleet, Alaska, USA
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Late Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Run
11-12-14 Late coho salmon run - Cordova, Alaska, USA
Cordova, Alaska, United States

Caribou Migration Changing
The caribou are crossing at different times and locations as the years go by.
Kiana, Alaska, USA

Unseasonably Warm and No Sea Ice
The ocean is still open, and have not even begun to freeze yet.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States

Unseasonably Warm and Bad Ice
11-11-14 Unseasonable warm - Ruby, Alaska, USA
Ruby, Alaska, United States

Bering Sea Superstorm Among the Strongest Extratropical Cyclones on Record
Partially derived from former Super Typhoon Nuri, the typhoon's remnants joined up with the polar jet stream and a very strong disturbance in the mid-latitude belt of westerly winds, leading to explosive development of low pressure.
The Weather Channel

Unseasonably warm and raining
11-01-14 Unseasonably warm - Pitkas Point, Alaska, USA
Pitka's Point, Alaska, United States

Mollusks in Moose (Alces alces) Gut
11-29-14 Mollusks in moose gut - Egegik, Alaska, USA
Egegik, Alaska, United States

Arctic Char with Sores and Parasites (Salmincola)
10-24-15 Arctic char with sores and parasites - Quinhagak, Alaska, USA
Quinhagak, Alaska, USA

Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus)
10-20-14 Sleeper shark - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

Summer heat, invasive insects take toll on Interior Alaska birch trees
Interior Alaska’s hot and dry summer of 2013, coupled with an invasion of insect pests, has taken a steep toll on the region’s birch trees, experts say.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Unseasonable weather
10-10-14 Unseasonable weather - St. Michael, Alaska, USA
St. Michael, Alaska, USA

Landslide destroys Starrigavan restoration projects
High rainfall this month is being blamed for a major landslide near Sitka. The US Forest Service reports that a 100-acre slide came down in the Starrigavan Valley, about ten miles from town. The slide, and water damage to an ATV trail in the valley and other hiking trails elsewhere in Sitka -- all add up to a tough month for the agency.
Sitka, Alaska, United States
KCAW

Berry Harvest Failure
A terrible year for berry harvest in the Upper Nushagak River.
Ekwok, Alaska, United States

Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) with Parasites
9-24-14 Coho salmon with parasites - New Stuyahok, Alaska, USA
New Stuyahok, Alaska, United States

Lots of wasps
9-23-14 Lots of wasps - Kolikanek, Alaska, USA
Koliganek, Alaska, United States

Abundant Mossberries (Empetrum nigrum)
A great year for harvesting mossberries.
Cold Bay, Alaska, United States

High Sea Water Temperatures
9-18-14 High surface water temperatures - Bering Sea
Bering Sea, Alaska, United States

Rare whale shark sighting documented near Catalina
Near Catalina Island, California, United States
Pete Thomas Outdoors

Unusual species in Alaska waters indicate parts of Pacific warming dramatically
Hinchenbrook Entrance, Alaska
Alaska Dispatch News

Grey Seal
Truro, Massachusetts, United States

Unusual Caterpillar
9-10-14 Unusual caterpillar - Big Lake, Alaska, USA
Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Amber Snail
These ladies found a snail that they had never seen before and brought them.
Seldovia, Alaska, United States

Sighted - Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
9-04-15 Swainson's thrush - Wales, Alaska, USA
Wales, Alaska, United States
Beth Paluso, Brit Oxereok, Dean Stockwell

Caterpillar (Hyles gallii) with reddish tail
9-2-14 Caterpillar with reddish tail - Tyonek, Alaska, USA
Tyonek, Alaska, United States

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) Sighted at Possession Point, Southern Vancouver Islan
Sooke, British Columbia, Canada

Delayed Winter In Nondalton
11-30-13 Delayed winter - Nondalton, Alaska, USA
Nondalton, Alaska, United States

Advisory - Avian cholera
Hundreds of birds washed up on the shores of St. Lawrence Island.
St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA

Persistent High PSP Levels
Persistently high levels of PSP recorded in the Shumagin Islands.
Sand Point, Alaska, United States

Starvation killed 80,000 reindeer after unusual Arctic rains cut off the animals’ food supply
Sixty-one thousand reindeer starved to death in the northwestern reaches of the Russian tundra in November 2013 in the largest recorded mortality event of its kind.
Ямало-Ненецкий АО, Russia
Washington Post

Weather Effects Caribou Migration and Season
11-11-13 Weather effects caribou migration and season - Barrow, Alaska, USA
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Storm Surge
Early fall weather conditions brought on an extreme storm surge in a Norton Sound community.
Shaktoolik, Alaska, United States

Storm Damage
Series of storms contribute to flooding, erosion, infrastructure damage.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

High PSP levels in clams
11-7-13 High PSP levels in clams - King Cove, Alaska, USA
King Cove, Alaska, Unites States

Dead Seabirds
11-6-13 Dead seabirds - Nanwalek, Alaska. USA
Nanwalek, Alaska, United States

Alaska farmers scramble for hay
A one-two punch of mid-May snow followed by a six-week drought cut the supply of Alaska-grown hay from Homer to Fairbanks by a third to a half, state Division of Agriculture officials say.
Palmer, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Ice Fishing Hazardous
11-4-13 Ice fishing hazardous - Golovin, Alaska, USA
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Krill Die-off
11-1-13 Krill die-off - Metlakatla, Alaska, USA
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States

Boats Still on the River
11-1-13 Boats still on the river - Koyukuk, Alaska, USA
Koyukuk, Alaska, United States

Warm and Wet Halloween
Anchorage is having the warmest October on record with an average temperature of 43 degrees. That will beat the record set in 1936 and residents are remarking on the novelty of having green grass and rain on Halloween.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

106 mph winds knock out power in Anchorage
A windstorm pounded parts of Southcentral Alaska early Monday, knocking down trees and cutting off power for thousands of people from the Matanuska Valley to the Kenai Peninsula.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Warm weather delays subsistence
10-24-13 Warm weather delays subsistence - Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA
Shaktoolik, Alaska, USA

Mussel Roe Fouls Fishing Gear
Salmon and crab gear seeing an incredible increase in mussel roe and slime.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Sinkhole Appears Along Road
Sinkhole appears along road
Quinhagak, Alaska, United States

Hairless Seal
10-19-13 Hairless seal - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA
Shishmaref, Alaska, United States

No Ice Fishing Yet
10-17-13 No ice fishing yet - Shishmaref, Alaska, USA

Too Wet for Food Preserving
10-15 13 Too wet for food preservation - Elim, Alaska, USA
Elim, Alaska, United States

Sewage Lagoon Vulnerable - Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion potential threat to community sewage lagoon.
Quinhagak, Alaska, United States

Skin Illness on Whitefish (Coregonus nelsonii)
10-13-13 Skin illness on whitefish (Coregonus nelsonii)
Nuiqsut, Alaska, United States

Sink hole damages airport
The runway, built in 1958, is over-top of permafrost and frozen soils.
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada

Bluff erosion
9-24-13 Bluff erosion - St. Michael, Alaska
St. Michael, Alaska, USA

Central Welland River Fish Kill
Common carp (*Cyprinus carpio*) and channel catfish (*Ictalurus punctatus*) die from low dissolved oxygen and ammonia that are the result of an over-application of biosolids.
Welland, Ontario, Canada

Stickleback Fish Kill
9-14-13 Stickle-back fish kill - Lake Illiamna, Alaska, USA
Lake Illiamna, Alaska, United States

Anchorage ties record for most consecutive rainy days
Rain overnight in Anchorage pushed the number of consecutive rainy days in the city to 18 -- tying a record set in September 1919, the National Weather Service reports.

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
On my way home for a lunch break, I noticed a different type of bird that I have ever seen before.

Unusual Spider
9-11-13 Unusual spider - Chignik, Lagoon, Alaska, USA
Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, United States

Great Year for Mushrooms
This has been a great year for the mushrooms

Caribou Delayed
9-5-13 Caribou delayed - Kiana, Alaska, USA
Kiana, Alaska, United States

Abundant Berries
The blueberries are so ripe now that the best time to pick those are late morning while they are chilled down and the leaves are not so moist, otherwise they fall easily or squish in your fingers.
Kiana, Alaska, United States

Still No Snow or Yukon River Ice
11-27-12 Still no snow or Yukon ice - Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA
Fort Yukon Alaska, United States

Lake Froze Weird
Aleknagik, November 26, 2012 (ice) Our lake froze weird again this year.
Aleknagik, Alaska, United States

Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus) in November?
Birch shieldbug found in Wasilla home in November.
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Air Pockets in River Ice
11-21-12 Air pockets in river ice - St. Marys, Alaska, USA
St. Marys, Alaska, United States

Snow Well Below Normal
Half of what we usually have this time of year.

Anchorage Snow Totals Well Below Average
November is usually the second snowiest month in Anchorage, but this year, snow totals are well below average. So far, only about three inches of snow has fallen in the city. November usually sees an average of seven inches by now, with a total of a little more than 13 inches for the month. National Weather Service Meteorologist Dave Snider says total snowfall for the season is also well below normal.
Alaska Public Media

No Snow on the Seward Peninsula
Despite the time of year, there is still no snow on the Seward Peninsula.
Elim, Alaska, United States

Late Snow Fall
Late snow seasonal snow fall
Koyukuk, Alaska, United States

Late Salmon Run
11-1-12 Late salmon run - Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA
Fort Yukon, Alaska, United States

Road dust
Road dust is unhealthy.
Kalskag, Alaska, United States
Sharay Alexie, Billy Jean Stewart, Cathy Wasuli

Natural Gas Vent
On a rising tide, a line of bubbles from the mud under the water of Ugashik Bay can be observed rising forcefully to the surface.
Pilot Point, Alaska, United States
Mike Brubaker, Jennifer Skrada, Nikki Shanigan, Katey Walter Anthony

Worms (Splendidofilaria pectoralis) in Grouse and Ptarmigan
Species of nematode *Splendidofilaria pectoralis* has been described in blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus pallidus) in British Columbia, but never as far north and west as Unalakleet.
Victoria Kotongan, Caroline Van Hemert, Todd O'Hara

B.C.'s Cowichan River in danger of drying up
Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in the Arctic
Brown bears spotted by a resident for the first time on the island of Shishmaref.

River Erosion on the Yukon Flats
Yukon Flats community dealing with river erosion and landscape changes that are threatening the loss of traditional harvesting areas.
Fort Yukon, Alaska, United States

More Brown Bears (Ursus arctos)
10-1-12 More brown bears - Koyukuk, Alaska, USA
Koyukuk, Alaska, United States

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

Damage to ATV Bridge
Permafrost thawing causing bridge damage.
Selawik, Alaska, United States

Extreme Rain & Flooding
9-21-12 Extreme rain and flooding - Wasilla, Alaska, USA
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

2nd Major Wind Storm Hits Anchorage
A second major wind storm in less than two weeks swept through Alaska's largest city on Sunday, but unlike the earlier storm, its greatest intensity was mostly on higher elevations where gusts as high as 120 mph were reported, weather forecasters said.
The Weather Channel

Unusual Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Sighting
Rare polar bear sighting in Sisualik summer camp, about 10-11 miles north of Kotzebue, AK.
Sisualik Fish Camp, Alaska, United States

Water Red in Harbor (Algae)
Red-colored seawater in boat harbor.
Saint George, Alaska, United States

Spruce Bark Beetle
We are worried about the effects of large infestation and about wildlife.
Fort Yukon, Alaska, United States

Unseasonable windstorm ravages Anchorage
At least 50,000 homes and businesses lost power late Tuesday, and outages continued through Wednesday.

Windfall Tree Devastation
The winds came east out of the Chugach Mountains and caused damage to forest, unlike anything we have seen in over 50 years. It is going to be expensive and time consuming to clear the windfall.

Windfall creates flood hazard
9-5-12 Windfall causes flood hazard - Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Unusual Skate Found on Arctic Beach
9-13-12 Unusual skate on Arctic beach - Barrow, Alaska, USA
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Heat lightning
9-1-12 Heat lightning - Kiska Island, Alaska, USA
Kiska Island, Alaska, USA

Harp seals

Community Water Distribution System Freeze Up
We performed a survey of community water lines to see how permafrost thaw and sinking foundations may be impacting homes, water and waste water systems. During the June visit we saw where foundation sinking was putting stress on pipe runs and junctions. Now in the winter we see evidence of freeze up in some of the homes where the junction boxes have been compromised, gaps in the insulation seal, and resulting freeze up and overflow of water.
Selawik, Alaska, United States
Tanya Ballot, John Warren, Mike Brubaker, Prithviraj Chavan

North Pacific 'super storm' makes its way toward Western Alaska coastline
The National Weather Service predicted one of the largest storms on record blasting up the Bering Sea coast. Could this be the first Arctic hurricane?

Ringed seal
Wrangel Island, Chukotka, Russia

Sick ringed seal

Sick Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina)
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Chiefs Concerned About Infectious Sockeye Virus
The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council is very concerned about the conclusive finding of the European Strain of Infectious Salmon Anemia virus (ISA) in sockeye in Rivers Inlet. The Secwepemc, like "most BC First Nations, have relied on salmon as the life blood of our people. Between 50 and 90 per cent of our people's diet consisted of salmon at the time of contact.
Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, Canada
Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper

Ringed Seal Mortality

Ringed seal stranding and mortality
Point Hope, 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

Stranded ringed seals
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States

Mysterious disease killed scores of seals in Alaska
A mysterious disease, possibly a virus, has afflicted ring seals along Alaska's coast, killing scores of them since July, local and federal agencies said on Thursday.
Barrow, Alaska, United States
REUTERS

Mysterious disease takes toll on ringed seals in Alaska Arctic
Biologists are trying to determine what's ailing ringed seals that live off Alaska's Arctic coast. Scores of seals stranded on beaches this summer appeared to have skin lesions, and dozens have died.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

Sick Ringed Seal
Koyuk, Alaska, United States

Stranded Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Sick Ringed Seal
Nome, Alaska, United States

Sick Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)

Ringed seal stranding

The Mystery Rust of Kivalina, Alaska
Last month a mysterious orange film ("goo" in the media vernacular) washed up on the shores of a northwest Alaskan village called Kivalina. An orange powder seems an odd product for the drying of crustacean eggs, but could make perfect sense for fungi -- specifically, the rust fungi.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States
Scientific American Blog Network

Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida) Mortality
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada

Seal stranding and mortality

Ice seal mortality
Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada

Ice seal mortality
Nome, Alaska, United States

Ice seal mortality
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States

Walrus with skin illness
Point Lay, Alaska, United States

Ringed seal mortality
Uelen, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

Stranded seal
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

Ringed seal mortality

Ringed seal mortality
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States

Strange seal behavior
Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut

Shell shock - thousands of Ninilchik clams wash up on beach in unusual die-off
A winter storm lashed the sandy beaches at the mouth of the Ninilchik River with ferocious waves, powerful enough to uproot thousands of razor clams.
Ninilchik, Alaska, United States
Redoubt Reporter

Strange seal behavior
Churchill Manitoba

Sick seals

Sick Seals
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada

Sick Seals
Coral Harbor, Nunavut, Canada

Troubling Decline in Caribou Herds of the Arctic
Across the Far North, populations of caribou — an indispensable source of food and clothing for indigenous people — are in steep decline. Scientists point to rising temperatures and a resource-development boom as the prime culprits.
Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, Canada

Spider Webs Covering Acres of Grasslands
Spider webs covering vegetation along the Noatak River Delta resemble a mass "ballooning" event reported in Unalaska.
Noatak River Delta

The Seattle Times: Sports: Notebook: Humboldt squid make rare appearance here
Washington's outer coast
Seattle Times

Jumbo squid is captured in unfamiliar waters
Sitka, Alaska
msnbc.com

Too Many Sea Otters?
Some want to be able to kill them again off BC's coast. Part one of a Tyee special report.
Chesterman Beach, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

Oh, rats! Rodent sighting means Anchorage has infestations, too
Anchorage can no longer claim to be the largest port city in the Northern Hemisphere without known rat infestations. State biologist Rick Sinnott caught and kille dtwo Norway rats found living at a pond near a South Anchorage school. Professional exterminatiors hired by the city placed more traps at the scene Monday afternoon.
Associated Press

Spotted seal

Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)

Ringed seal

Prickly sharks (Echinorhinus cookei) observed in the shallow head of Monterey Submarine canyon

Apparent native freshwater mussel mortality event

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