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’s weird fire season ain’t over yet
Waking to the smell of a wet ashtray (which, as a Child of the Seventies, I can still remember), I knew the wind had shifted. Wildfire smoke hung in the neighborhood.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Fagersta resident on swine fever outbreak: ”Hold on and hope for the best”
The small Swedish town of Fagersta, Västmanland County, has been at the epicentre of the recent outbreak of African swine fever.All activities in an area of forest around 1000 square kilometers in the counties of Västmanland and Dalarna have been off limits since Friday following the discovery of dead wild boar.
Fagersta, Västmanland, Sweden

Red tide killing thousands of fish along the Texas Gulf Coast
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the presence of red tide on the upper coast was first confirmed at a red tide monitoring station near Freeport about 3 weeks ago.
FOX 26 Houston

California sea lions are dying—now scientists know why
Twenty-two sea lions have been found dead on beaches in California, with many more found sick.
Bodega Bay, California, United States
Newsweek

Prey driven away by wildfire, YKDFN Chief says wolves are turning to Yellowknife for food
Fred Sangris said there isn't a big population of wolves in the area of Yellowknife, Ndilǫ and Dettah — but sightings are happening more often because they're hungry and venturing near communities in search of food.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Low water in Yellowknife Bay not increasing arsenic risk says official, researcher
An official with the Giant Mine remediation project and a local researcher aren't worried the low water in Yellowknife Bay is exposing people to more arsenic in areas along the shore line.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine scheme expands
Cases of TBE have fallen slightly, but in Kustavi on the west coast, the number has been growing steadily.
Finland
Yle Uutiset

Russia is to lose its permafrost, minister of natural resources warns
Northern territories ‘will become arable farmland in 20-to-30 years', and will have to adapt - fast. ‘Every such region understands what's coming to it in 20, 30 years. It’ll stop being northern (climate-wise), or it will suddenly turn into a clearly agricultural’, Alexander Kozlov said in an interview to Russian business news outlet RBC.

Increasing Insect Reactions in Alaska: Is this Related to Changing Climate?
During the summer of 2006, Fairbanks Alaska experienced its first two known cases of fatal anaphylaxis as a result of Hymenoptera stings, presumably from yellowjackets. Statistically significant increases in patients seeking medical care for insect bite and sting related events are observed throughout the state, with 5 of the 6 regions experiencing at least a 6 degree Fahrenheit increase in winter temperature since 1950.
Alaska, United States
Nature Precedings

Invasive species bill introduced to Alaska legislature
In June 2010, researchers discovered Didemnum vexillum — also known as “rock vomit” — in Whiting Harbor near Sitka. This species, which can cover large areas of the seafloor, is an aggressive invader and a potential threat to shellfish farms, groundfish fisheries, fish spawning and other resources. The council is also concerned about the European green crab which can potentially travel in the ballast water of oil tankers and be released into Prince William Sound.
Seward, Alaska, United States
Prince William Sound

Global Warming Threatens Sweden’s Reindeer Herds
Unusual weather patterns in Sweden’s arctic region seem to be jeopardising the migrating animals’ traditional grazing grounds, as rainfall during the winter has led to thick layers of snowy ice that block access to food.
Kiruna, Norrbotten, Sweden
Courthouse News

Booming turkey vulture populations could be another sign climate
For the past five years or so, former state Sen. Randall Hardy has watched a few dozen turkey vultures roost in a tree next to his garage. He can tell when the migratory birds return to his central Salina neighborhood each spring as the colors begin to change.
Hays, Kansas, United States
kake.com

Bad weather hampers military efforts to purify Iqaluit river water
Task Force Iqaluit is making plans to move its water purification operation indoors, after a winter storm knocked down the tent housing its purifying system. Meanwhile, city staff are being redeployed due to the crisis, leading to some cuts to recreation services.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
CBC

Scientists have found out what kind of garbage threatens the marine animals of Kamchatka
Employees of the Kronotsky Reserve have published the results of a large-scale summer expedition to collect and classify garbage on the coast of the South Kamchatka Federal Reserve. The main pollutants that threaten the lives of marine and coastal animals are identified.
Петропавловск-Камчатский, Kamchatka Krai, Russia
mnr.gov.ru

Surface trawl survey reveals shifting fish populations
Researchers are predicting low fish runs in the Norton Sound and Northern Bering Sea region again next year, according to research biologist Jim Murphy.
Northern Bering Sea
The Nome Nugget

Scientists study accelerating land subsidence affecting coastal North Slope communities
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Point Lay, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

What happens when the ice disappears?
Lake Superior is warming faster than any of the Great Lakes, with impacts on ice fishing, wildlife and Indigenous ways of life
Lake Superior / *Gitchigumi*
The Narwhal

Into the ice: Snow crab decline hits Bering Sea island community of St. Paul
This season’s quotas of snow crab catch were slashed by nearly 90%, a body blow to the small island government on St. Paul, where the crab are processed — and taxed.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Coxiella burnetii in northern fur seals and Steller sea lions of Alaska
Coxiella burnetii, a zoonotic bacterium, has recently been identified in several marine mammal species on the Pacific Coast of North America, but little is known about the epidemiology, transmission, and pathogenesis in these species.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States
PubMed

Study links lack of running water to prevalence of ear infections among rural Alaska children
A Bering Strait study, part of a program examining ear infections and hearing loss, links lack of running water to childhood ear diseases.
Nome, Alaska, United States
Alaska Beacon

Sunflower sea stars need help after catastrophic population declines, scientists say
Experts say a wasting disease epidemic has decimated about 95% of the sunflower sea star population from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Without sea stars to keep them in check, sea urchins are causing a troubling decline in kelp forests that provide food and shelter.
West Coast of North America
oregonlive

Can the Alaska blackfish really survive being frozen?
The Alaska blackfish is an evolutionary loner that fins through lakes and tundra ponds across much of the state. It exists nowhere else, except just across Bering Strait in Siberia. The fish is different from others in the state because in addition to gathering oxygen through its gills, it can pull oxygen from free air.
Hughes, Alaska, United States

Insights on climate realities concludes Arctic Encounter Symposium
The Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES) held its 2023 event, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, military leaders and other experts to discuss the leading issues in Arctic policy, innovation and development. The event allowed attendees to hear from several Alaska Natives about their experiences in a rapidly changing climate and ecosystem.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Most of Anchorage safe from tsunami, but new report notes threat from worst-case scenario
The risk of a tsunami hitting Anchorage – Alaska’s largest city, at the head of Cook Inlet – has been the subject of debate for years.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Homeowners face rising insurance rates as climate change makes wildfires, storms more common
A growing number of Americans are finding it difficult to afford insurance on their homes, a problem only expected to worsen because insurers and lawmakers have underestimated the impact of climate change, a new report says. “If you’re not worried, you’re not paying attention,” said California Sen. Bill Dodd, whose district includes the wine-country counties devastated by the LNU Complex fires in 2020.
United States
AP News

Northern Bering Sea saw some indicators of health rebound in 2023
The Northern Bering Sea showed signs of ecological recovery in 2023, with improved conditions for zooplankton and fish despite ongoing challenges from climate change and variable sea ice patterns.
Bering Sea
The Nome Nugget

Russia Threatens to Withdraw From the Arctic Council
"We need to keep all political options open, including a withdrawal from the Arctic Council," says Russia's Arctic Ambassador, Nikolay Korchunov.
Moscow, Russia
High North News

Caribou declines causing angst for Alaska hunters are part of wider North America trend
There are signs that climate change is depressing caribou herds across the north, and looming development could be an obstacle to recovery.
Alaska, United States
Alaska Beacon

State officials extend studded-tire removal deadline by 15 days
Most of Southcentral Alaska has seen near record-setting snowfall this winter. The state of Alaska extended its annual deadline for residents to swap out their studded winter tires by 15 days due to what they called “prolonged winter weather.”
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

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