The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

Not a Drop to Drink - The unusual drought this summer has resulted in many environmental impacts; the wildfires, beetle infestations and fish die-offs have been much discussed. There is now a new symptom of the drought with serious health implications for a growing number of communities: water shortage.

Nanwalek, a village of about 200 on the southern Kenai Peninsula, has received about 1.01 inches (2.55 centimeters) of rain since June 1, far below the average of over 6 inches. On August 20, Priscilla Evans posted in LEO Network that the community was in a crisis, the reservoir was drying and bottled water had to be delivered by air cargo. The list of communities with water shortages has grown to eight, ranging from Southeast all the way to the Alaska Peninsula. It is an amazing turn of events in a region historically characterized as 'temperate rain forest'.

In this edition, you can see Priscilla's observation, read about glacier rebound in Iceland and the booming bat populations in Northwest Territories.

Mike Brubaker, Editor

	Water shortage looms in Chignik Lagoon Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, United States Tyler Thompson / Alaska Public Media / August 27, 2019 The water well is dry due to a lack of rain, and the village’s distribution system is damaged. As of Thursday, residents had only 5,000 gallons of drinkable water left. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Drought Causes Water Emergency Nanwalek, Alaska, United States Priscilla Evans and Richard L Thoman Jr / LEO Network / August 20, 2019 "Nanwalek was in an emergency drought, we had to have water flown in for 60 households." Read post on the LEO Network
	Rising number of people picking up TBE–infection Thomas Heldmark and Ulla Engberg / Radio Sweden / August 20, 2019 A record number of Swedes are taking the vaccine against TBE - Tick Borne Encephalitis. But the disease is still spreading in the country. Read article on Radio Sweden
	More batty visitors in the N.W.T? Northerners on social media think so Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada Mackenzie Scott / CBC / August 24, 2019 Out of the eight species of bats in the Northwest Territories, residents are most likely to see the little brown bats. Read article on CBC
	Excellent summer for Finnish lakes Yle Uutiset / August 22, 2019 Usually blue-green algae is at its heaviest in Finnish lakes in August, but this summer levels in August are lower than at any time in the 20 years of national monitoring, Read article on Yle Uutiset
	Heavy rains spur flooding, snarl transportion Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland Yle Uutiset / August 23, 2019 Helsinki usually gets 70-80 millimetres of rain during August. Friday morning alone brought 56 mm of water to Kaisaniemi Park, where the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) has a weather station. Read article on Yle Uutiset
	Land Rising Due to Melting Glaciers Höfn, East, Iceland Jóhann Páll Ástvaldsson / Iceland Review / August 21, 2019 The land around Höfn in Hornafjörður is rising rapidly due to the melting of the glaciers in the surrounding area. There, the land is rising one centimetre per year, Read article on Iceland Review
	Pack of brown bears reported in Magadan region Takhtoyamsk, Magadan Oblast, Russia Siberian Times / August 20, 2019 Bears in the Far East of Russia have become extremely aggressive searching for food. Experts say the number of bear attacks on humans this year is 'unprecedented.' Read article on Siberian Times

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