LEO Network

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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

Alaska residents to see increased jellyfish sightings
The number of moon jellyfish in Alaska waters has increased. Warm ocean temperatures and plentiful food in the form of zooplankton have contributed to the increased sightings
Juneau, Alaska, United States
AP NEWS

More batty visitors in the N.W.T? Northerners on social media think so
Out of the eight species of bats in the Northwest Territories, residents are most likely to see the little brown bats.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Pink Salmon smash June record
One theory is the pinks were traveling somewhere else to spawn, and taking a longer than usual route to avoid warming water.
Cold Bay, Alaska, United States
Bristol Bay Times
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

Swamp rats have invaded California
Somewhere between the size of a sewer rat and a beaver, with a tail resembling that of an opossum and protruding, nacho cheese-colored teeth, the nutria is both impressively unattractive and highly destructive.
Central Valley, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

The Legacy of the Blob
From California to Alaska, animals born during the infamous Blob are coming of age.
Northern California Current Ecosystem
Hakai Magazine

Unusual amount of grizzly bear sightings on Vancouver Island
Grizzly bears sightings are on the rise on Vancouver Island, and experts have a few theories as to why this is happening.
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
The Weather Network

Mexico struggles to understand, solve, seaweed invasion
Mexico has spent US$17 million to remove over a half-million tons of sargassum seaweed from its Caribbean beaches, and the problem doesn't seem likely to end any time soon.
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
CTVNews

Glowing 'Blue Tears' in China's Seas are Incredibly Toxic and Growing
The glowing algae is suffocating sea life.
Matsu Islands, Taiwan, East China Sea
Live Science

Bullhead City, Arizona Was a Retiree Paradise. Then Came a Biblical Plague of Flies.
Environmentalists often decry the loss of species diversity in rivers that have been dammed. But while some species lose when we meddle with rivers, others win, sometimes in dramatic and ways.
Bullhead City, Arizona, United States
OneZero

Nigerian fishers hit by criminals, imports and climate change
From African waters to China and back again, over half the fish on Nigerian tables is imported
Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
chinadialogue ocean

Why seaweed is strangling Mexican tourism, and how science could help
Sargassum is infesting Mexico’s coastline. Researchers are scrambling to stop an ecological crisis, and maybe even make something good of it.
Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico
MIT Technology Review

Wild pigs are a big problem. Here’s how they kill ’em in Texas
'There's nothing good about them.' They carry disease and cause billions in damage
Canada
National Post

El Niño Triggered Disease Outbreaks Across Globe
The 2015 to 2016 El Niño event brought weather conditions that triggered regional disease outbreaks throughout the world.
Tropical Pacific Ocean
Laboratory Equipment

Changing southern Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem
The survey started in 1971 as a review of commercially important fish like cod and halibut, but has grown into an annual scientific assessment of all sea life hauled up from the deep.
Southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Global News

Ecosystem changes following loss of great white sharks
A new study has documented unexpected consequences following the decline of great white sharks from an area off South Africa. The study found that the disappearance of great whites has led to the emergence of sevengill sharks, a top predator from a different habitat. A living fossil, sevengill sharks closely resemble relatives from the Jurassic period, unique for having seven gills instead of the typical five in most other sharks.
Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa
Phys.org

Saimaa seal population climbs to nearly 400
Fifty percent of Saimaa ringed seal pups born between the years of 2014-2017 entered the world in a snowdrift constructed by volunteers.
Ristiina, Southern Savonia, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Mysterious Microbes Turning Polar Ice Pink, Speeding Up Melt
Thriving communities of red algae are doing something nefarious to the world's ice sheets: melting them more quickly.
Port Charcot
National Geographic

Mysterious Microbes Turning Polar Ice Pink, Speeding Up Melt
Thriving communities of red algae are doing something nefarious to the world's ice sheets: melting them more quickly.
Greenland
National Geographic

Loads of seaweed are threatening the Caribbean’s sea life and tourism. Experts say we may be to blame
Scientists say the threat from sargassum is as serious as rising sea levels and hurricanes.
Quintana Roo, Mexico
Washington Post

Ticks are an increasing problem
Several serious diseases are in and around the Czech Republic, If you're planning on staying in Prague for any length of time, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the healthcare options available in the city. Nothing is more important than your health!
Prague, Praha, Czech Republic
Prague TV

Aequorea (hydrozoan) bloom in the Northern California Current
Dataset from Dr. Brian Burke (NOAA; brian.burke@noaa.gov); derived from surface trawls taken during NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center Juvenile Salmon & Ocean Ecosystem Survey (JSOES).
Northern California Current
NOAA NWFSC CCIEA Custom Plotting

Endangered plant thrives after Sidney Spit restoration
Coastal sand ecosystem returning to health after 1.5 years of work
Sidney Spit National Marine Park, Canada
Saanich News

Crowdsourcing capelin: New website to alert biologists to locations of 'key' fish
Keeping tabs on capelin — from the shores of the Atlantic ocean to the world wide web.
Newfoundland and Labrador
CBC

How the American bullfrog is eating its way into BC
Like a horde of slimy green zombies, the incredibly invasive American bullfrog is hopping the border into the West Kootenay.
Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, British Columbia, Canada
Nelson Star

Sargassum seaweed partly responsible for Guyana's reduced fish production
Guyana’s fish production has suffered a significant decline partly due to the adverse impact of sargassum seaweed, local and regional fishery experts said.
Demerara Waves

Sea Lice Exploded among Wild Young Salmon near BC Fish Farms
B.C salmon farms last year were besieged by sea lice, according to a new University of Toronto study, which also found a dangerously steep rise of infestation among young wild salmon who swam nearby.
Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

Humboldt squid on the move
July 23, 2007 – Over the last five years, large, predatory Humboldt squid have moved north from equatorial waters and invaded the sea off Central California, where they may be decimating populations of Pacific hake, an important commercial fish.
Monterey Submarine Canyon, California, United States
MBARI

Measuring up: How meteorologists gauge the snowfall as Anchorage nears a season record
Experts use measuring sticks and tanks in regular intervals to monitor snowfall as this season’s total approaches an all-time high.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

70,000 pink salmon caught in Norwegian rivers
“Dramatic”, says researcher Henrik H. Berntsen. The Norwegian Environment Agency has launched a major offensive to get rid of the invasive species. But, despite more fishing, there appear to be ever more humpback salmon arriving in Norwegian rivers. Currently, around 70,000 pink salmon have been caught in Norwegian watercourses this year.
Norway
SalmonBusiness

Can sunflower sea stars keep sea urchins from overfeeding on declining kelp forests?
Researchers at Oregon State University are studying the relationship between sunflower sea stars and sea urchins to determine if the reintroduction of the sea stars can help protect declining kelp forests from overgrazing by sea urchins.
Sitka, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Redpolls, feisty songbirds of the Alaska winter, are flocking to feeders this season
Unusually high numbers of the chunky little finches in Southcentral are prompting surprising questions from bird lovers.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Bristol Bay records its largest sockeye run on record
Bristol Bay’s 2021 sockeye run is the largest on record: 63.2 million fish have returned to the bay, breaking the 2018 record of 62.9 million.
Dillingham, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

More shrubs means way more moose in western Alaska
Biologists want to know why there are so many moose. It may have a lot to do with shrubs — moose feast on their leaves during the spring and summer. These short woody plants are spreading west, aided by climate change, and moose populations are expanding along with them.
Bethel, Alaska, United States

The lessons for British Columbia in Alaska’s epic Bristol Bay sockeye run
Bristol Bay’s prolific salmon runs are also made possible because of the effective and transparent management of the Alaskan salmon fishery, according to both Hill and Schindler. Decisions are made in real time, on the ground — or, to be precise, overlooking the water — compared to the much more cumbersome and bureaucratic Canadian system.
Bristol Bay
The Narwhal

As beavers gain foothold in Arctic Alaska, some see benefits in how they reshape the landscape
Beavers, on the other hand, leave a mark on the landscape that you can sometimes see from space.Swarming ponds, building dams and expanding waterways, beavers are moving farther and farther into the Arctic, and are changing what the region looks like.
Ambler, Alaska, United States

More shrubs means way more moose in western Alaska
Fall moose hunts are beginning across Alaska. In western parts of the state, biologists hope that hunting pressure will help protect the health of booming populations. They also want to know why there are so many moose in the first place. It may have a lot to do with shrubs — particularly scrubby willows shooting up at the edges of open tundra. Moose feast on their leaves during the spring and summer. These short woody plants are spreading west, aided by climate change, and moose populations are expanding along with them.
Bethel, Alaska, United States

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