Background Articles

New research finds that mountain goat populations require 11 years – or 1.5 generations – to recover from more extreme avalanche years.

Representatives from several Indigenous-led organizations discussed co-management strategies at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention panel.

Remnants of Typhoon Halong drove record storm surge and hurricane-force winds into Western Alaska, devastating Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages like Kipnuk and Kwigillingok. Officials report dozens of homes destroyed, mass rescues, widespread outages, and at least one death, with many residents sheltering and recovery efforts underway.

The gray-headed chickadee was last heard in Alaska in 2018 and encroaching beavers may diminish what was the birds’ natural habitat.

An H5N1 avian influenza outbreak is affecting gulls across Northern Norway, with detections in multiple Troms and Nordland municipalities. Authorities warn mortality may be undercounted and urge reporting of sick or dead birds and strict biosecurity for poultry.

Mike Shouldice of Rankin Inlet reports this summer’s caribou migration patterns have shifted, with far fewer animals passing through traditional routes and fewer visible signs such as hanging skins.

Researchers are finding the poisonous toxin throughout the year, and in animals away from the ocean.

Wrangel Island is an Arctic ark, home to two unique species of endemic lemmings. The success of the season for many other inhabitants of the harsh region depends on the lemmings. In years of high numbers, they eat up to 80% of the plant biomass, radically changing the appearance of the landscape.

A young wolverine found in a shed in downtown Turku in January was still exceptional. “Wolverines occasionally wander around southwestern Finland. However, the population is concentrated in the east, where conditions are more peaceful,” said Pinja-Emilia Lämsä, a doctoral researcher at Aalto University.

Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and the Prague Zoo director agreed on a project to reintroduce Przewalski’s horses to the Numrug Strictly Protected Area in Dornod aimag, building on three decades of conservation cooperation.

An expert warns that early snowmelt and increasing ski tourism in vulnerable high‑altitude calving areas on Hardangervidda and Nordfjella are disturbing Norway’s wild reindeer during their critical breeding season.

We have a lot of phenological events, but how much snow and when it falls are not part of that scheme. If you did not mulch last fall, you are going to lose some and maybe many of your perennials.

A new study finds that polar bears in Svalbard are beginning to leave their dens with cubs one week earlier than before 2016, a trend that may be linked to climate change and the resulting loss of sea ice.

Researchers in southwestern Alaska are investigating why the once-thriving Mulchatna caribou herd has not rebounded, focusing on factors such as disease and nutrition. The study employs real-time monitoring of pregnant caribou and detailed fat measurements to evaluate calf survival and overall herd health.

Researchers in southwestern Alaska are closely monitoring the Mulchatna caribou herd using advanced technology to determine whether disease or nutrition is behind the herd’s failure to recover. The study comes amid efforts to understand a dramatic population decline that has led to a subsistence hunting closure.

The mountain lion was the first reported sighting of the species in Southeast Alaska since 1998.

Vehicles accumulate dirt, which has minerals, and minerals are hard to come by in the environment during winter. Salt could certainly be one of the minerals they seek as sodium is a driver of appetite, but it is possible it could be another type of mineral they’re after—hard to say for sure without getting a profile of the dirt.

The article explores how climate change has influenced sled dog genetics, leading to a shift from traditional, thick-coated breeds to leaner, faster dogs better suited for warmer conditions, impacting the tradition of dog mushing in Alaska.

The Western Arctic Caribou Herd in Alaska is declining due to shrubification linked to climate change, while the Porcupine Caribou Herd is thriving due to stable tundra conditions.

The 2024 Arctic Report Card highlights the unusual shift of the Arctic tundra from a carbon sink to a carbon source and reports significant declines in large migratory caribou herds, attributed to climate change impacts like increased winter precipitation and warmer summers.