The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

On Thin Ice Recently warm air has been perched like a cap over the high Arctic, with a tilt to the south over Russia. As reported by the Barents Observer, temperatures on Saturday November 21st were over 6 degrees C above normal. The effects can be seen in local news reports across the north: a lack of sea ice and magnified shore erosion in Golovin, an unusual ice storm in Vladivostok, and in Reykjavik, a decline in the sales of studded snow tires. This October was the warmest on record for Europe and November may follow suit. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	Shocking temperatures across the Arctic Thomas Nilsen / The Independent Barents Observer / November 22, 2020 A belt of warm air is currently stretching from northern Greenland across the North Pole to the Laptev and East Siberian Seas north of the Russian mainland. Northeast of Svalbard from Franz Josef Land to Severnaya Zemlya see similar heat. On a recent November weekend the average temperature was 6.7°C above normal across the Arctic. Read article on The Independent Barents Observer
	Winter Storm Buffets Western Alaska While Lack of Sea Ice Continues to be the Norm Nome, Alaska, United States Davis Hovey / KNOM Radio Mission / November 25, 2020 Similar to the last storm that hit the region earlier this month, there is hardly any sea ice in the Bering Sea to minimize the damage to coastal areas. Read article on KNOM Radio Mission
	Ábborášša reindeer owners feel that they were forced to move over thin ice Vuorašjávri, Kautokeino, Finnmark Fylke, Norway Marie Elise Nystad, Johan Ante Utsi / NRK / November 2, 2020 The reindeer owners feel they had to choose. Pay expensive fines or move with the reindeer across the river even if the ice was too thin. On Saturday, a thousand reindeer went through the ice in Vuorašjávri, a mile east of Kautokeino municipality in Finnmark. Read article on NRK
	Call for extra hands to clear Russian bridge, still shut after last week’s disastrous ice rain Vladivostok, Primorskiy, Russia Siberian Times / November 27, 2020 Video shows hero climbers manually breaking ice off its cable stays at height of 324m (1,063ft) in Vladivostok. Read article on Siberian Times
	Fewer choosing studded tires Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland RÚV / November 27, 2020 Roughly eight percent fewer drivers now choose to use studded winter tires on their cars than two years ago, according to FÍB, the Icelandic Automobile Association. It is worth noting that early winter this year has been mild and that some drivers may be holding off. Read article on RÚV
	The permafrost in Jotunheimen is thawing – We do not know the consequences Mt. Juvvasshøe, Lom, Innlandet, Norway Ragnhild Moen Holø, Even Lusæter, Roar Berntsen / NRK / November 30, 2020 Underground, a mighty giant is disintegrating: the permafrost is about to drop its roof. Constantly creeping upwards, the permafrost zone is now 100 meters further up the mountainside than 20 years ago. Read article on NRK
	High water rising: above-average levels and flow rates in NWT lakes, rivers, streams Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada Simon Whitehouse / NNSL Media / November 19, 2020 The Taltson River, below the hydro dam south of Great Slave Lake, typically sees 215 cubic meters per second. As of November 12, the water flow was recorded as 628 cubic meters per second. Read article on NNSL Media

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
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