Background Articles

Japanese beetles are aggressively feeding on ornamental and edible plants in the Halifax area, prompting debate between experts who recommend labor-intensive hand removal and gardeners using pheromone traps that may attract more beetles.

Tick observations in Lapland have doubled year-on-year, and a University of Turku study reports that a stable tick population is now established in Rovaniemi.

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.

Shrimp biomass in Greenland has declined significantly over the past two years, prompting major fishing companies and the fisheries organization QAK to call for industry adaptations.

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 Swedish Radiation Safety Authority returns to Vittersjön near Ockelbo to conduct updated measurements of radioactivity in fish 35 years after Chernobyl, urging anglers to submit summer catches for analysis.

Sockeye salmon, the primary target species, came in at under half a million fish last month. That's less than a third of the 10-year average. Meanwhile, Fish and Game is putting more restrictions on the fishery.

A severe hailstorm in Calgary on July 13, 2025, caused $92 million in insured damage, highlighting the increasing frequency and severity of such events in Alberta's "Hail Belt" and underscoring the need for improved risk management and climate resilience strategies.

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

A tick found on the Avalon Peninsula tested positive for Lyme disease, but provincial health authorities say the risk to residents remains low.

Salmon catches in Chukotka have significantly surpassed previous years' records, with a notable increase of 64.5% compared to 2023, highlighting an unexpected abundance in the region's fishery.

The Village of Gwa’yas’dums on Gilford Island will receive over $3.2 million from the Canadian federal government to reinforce its shoreline against climate-driven erosion and coastal flooding.

On more than 30 occasions and across four oceans, orcas have attempted to share their prey with people, potentially to develop relationships with humans, researchers have found.

Areas north of Healy remained under evacuation orders though fire activity slowed since flaring to life last week. Evacuation alerts in several areas north of Fairbanks were reduced Thursday.

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 new rule, scheduled to take effect Thursday, follows a series of lawsuits brought by environmental groups claiming that the federal government failed to adequately justify prior rules that allowed lower levels of harassment.