The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
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Quite a Catch - On August 20th, Jacyln Christensen was walking the Bering Sea coast near her home in Port Heiden when she came across a rare sight, a large salmon shark stranded on the beach. Sharks, and in particular stranded salmon sharks, are a rare sight in Alaska. They frequent the Bering Sea, but are not thought to range much above the Arctic Circle. That was until Monday, when John Kapakatoak pulled nets near the village of Kugluktuk and was surprised to find a six foot (1.85 meter) salmon shark in his catch. But this was not the Bering Sea, or even the Chukchi. It was coastal Beaufort Sea near a small village in northern Nunavut. As reported in the featured CBC article, no one in Kugluktuk had ever even seen a shark before! That was quite a catch and quite a long way from home. As ocean waters warm, northern residents are increasingly reporting unusual marine wildlife. Thanks to people like John Kapakotoak and Jacyln Christensen we can learn about these events and other dynamic changes occurring in northern waters. You can read about the salmon sharks, as well as Pacific cod in the Chukchi, and Brown Pelicans in British Columbia. Thank you for reading and following these stories about our changing North. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	As Bering Sea ice melts, Alaskans, scientists and Seattle's fishing fleet witness changes on a massive scale Savoonga, Alaska, United States Hal Bernton / Seattle Times / September 16, 2019 Instead of halibut, fisherman are increasingly catching less valuable Pacific cod, voracious bottom feeders whose numbers in recent years have exploded. Read article on Seattle Times
	'First time I've seen a shark': Nunavut man nets shark in rare catch Kugluktuk, Nunavut, Canada CBC / September 18, 2019 "It's the first time I guess the whole town seeing a shark in real [life]," he said. "Must have been just about the whole town that come to see it." The shark is likely a salmon shark, typically found around Alaska and B.C. Read article on CBC
	Dead Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) Near 2nd Cape Port Heiden, Alaska, United States Jaclyn Christensen / LEO Network / August 20, 2019 It is unusual to find a dead shark. And it occurred at a time when there were many other standings of marine mammals and birds. Read post on the LEO Network
	Alaska seabird die-offs, now in their fifth year, are a red flag in warming climate Yereth Rosen / Arctic Today / September 17, 2019 Short-tailed shearwaters breed in the areas off Australia. They come to Alaska to gorge on krill, tiny copepods, fish and a variety of other marine food. Shearwaters that were not dead were found to be extremely weakened, some of them trying to eat scraps from Bering Sea fishermen’s nets. Read article on Arctic Today
	After two dry summers, lakes and wells running low Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa, Finland Yle Uutiset / September 15, 2019 Despite recent rain, groundwater levels remain at near-record lows. Markku Rantti, head of the local village association, says some wells in the area only have about 20 cm of water at the bottom. Read article on Yle Uutiset
	State of emergency in Yakutsk as Russia’s permafrost river dries to a record low Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia Siberia Times / September 9, 2019 Usually one of the most full flowing in Russia, the river tends to drop the level twice a year - but not by a catastrophic 2-2.5 meters as this year. Read article on Siberia Times
	Winter arrives early in Värmland Båstad, Skåne län, Sweden Radio Sweden / September 17, 2019 Winter came to Värmland, Tuesday, with six centimetres of snow falling on higher ground. Read article on Radio Sweden
	Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) at St Margerats Bay St. Margerats Bay, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Christopher Darimont and Tom Okey / LEO Network / September 5, 2019 In 2016, there was a documented Brown Pelican sighting in Port Renfrew, BC, and in 2018-2019 there were five others in Victoria, BC. Read post on the LEO Network

The Northern Climate Observer is published by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news coverage from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events. Thank you for reading our newsletter and for paying attention to our changing world.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern Climate Observer is published weekly by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer