Background Articles

Iran’s worsening water crisis, described by a top United Nations environmental expert as a state of “water bankruptcy,” risks crippling the country’s infrastructure, undermining its stability, and weakening its influence internationally.

More than 120 responders are cleaning up oil and gas spills and restoring western Alaska communities after former Typhoon Halong’s storm-surge flooding. The U.S. Coast Guard and partners are recovering fuels and staging safe storage sites as winter conditions and limited daylight complicate work.

The American Red Cross of Alaska is preparing to support up to 2,000 flood evacuees through the winter in Anchorage, operating shelters as residents from hard-hit Western Alaska villages continue arriving. Evacuees describe gratitude for aid and concerns about adapting to big-city life.

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.

Extreme weather 'Amy' brought destructive winds and flooding across Norway, damaging buildings and vehicles, causing landslides, and knocking out power to tens of thousands. Insurance firms received thousands of damage reports as cleanup began across multiple regions.

A study of the “rusting” Salmon River and its tributaries in Kobuk Valley National Park suggests that permafrost thaw is causing wider ecological problems.

Large numbers of post‑spawning pink salmon are rotting along the Alta River in Finnmark, causing strong odors and anger among anglers. Critics say the river lacked an effective trap in 2025, while managers and authorities cite technical challenges and are using netting and clean‑ups as interim measures.

Photos show flooding and structural damage in Severo-Kurilsk and Kamchatka after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake and tsunami struck Russia’s Far East on July 30, 2025.

Retesting of private wells in Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador found more homes above the 30 ng/L PFAS limit, prompting calls for a full hydrogeological study of groundwater contamination linked to firefighting foam from St. John’s International Airport.

Reisa Elvelag has installed the country’s largest floating grate trap across the Reisa River in Nordreisa, blocking the river on July 26 and capturing 30 pink salmon within hours.

Hundreds of cod were found dead near Iqaluit’s deepsea port after likely being trapped at low tide, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Alaska DEC tests of mussels from Kachemak Bay found no domoic acid toxin associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning, though mussels can quickly expel the toxin so its presence in other species remains uncertain.

A UNBC study finds glaciers feeding the Slave River watershed are melting twice as fast as a decade ago, contributing to record low water levels in Northwest Territories rivers, while GNWT officials expect short-term stability from snowmelt and summer rains.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute begins building a trap at Seida to sort out invasive pink salmon migrating up the Tana River.

On June 11, 2025, a Norilsk fish incubation plant delivered more than 60,000 nelma juveniles to be released into Lake Keta as part of Nornickel’s ongoing efforts to replenish regional fish stocks.

The Kuskokwim River breakup has reached Sleetmute and Red Devil more than 200 miles downstream in five days—about five days ahead of schedule—with low flooding potential reported for middle-river communities.

Residents of Baker Lake remain under a boil‑water advisory after 96 litres of heating fuel spilled near the community’s water intake, prompting increased sampling and monitoring.

British Columbia’s March snowpack averaged just 79 percent of normal, up from 63 percent a year ago but still low enough to raise the province’s drought risk for spring and summer.

In recent years, researchers have documented salmon surviving in North Slope rivers, bowhead whales expanding their foraging grounds and humpbacks moving into the Arctic.

Data collected over 90 years shows that Norwegian coastal water temperatures have increased by up to 2°C, a shift that is impacting marine ecosystems and local fishing practices.