Background Articles

A powerful coastal storm brought flooding and damaging winds to western Alaska on Oct. 8, with severe flooding and evacuations in Kotzebue and high water reported across the Bering Strait/Norton Sound region. Communities are now preparing for a larger storm expected over the weekend, with state emergency operations activated.

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.

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

Tverrelvdalen School in Alta, Finnmark, closed on Thursday due to concerns about underlying quick clay. The municipality notified students and parents about the precautionary closure.

This summer, Alaska experienced an unprecedented heat advisory in Juneau and Fairbanks, marking a significant and unusual shift in its typically cold climate.

More intense future wildfires, fueled by further climate change, could lead to 70,000 deaths from smoke exposure a year, according to a new study.

The increased statewide precipitation is despite places like Anchorage and -- if you can believe it -- Southeast Alaska being slightly drier than normal this summer.

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.

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.

The close call in Tracy Arm 50 miles south of Juneau on 10 August is the latest sign that as glaciers melt, risks may rise

BC Hydro crews have begun assessing damage to power infrastructure in Bamfield following the Mount Underwood wildfire, but the full extent remains unknown as the fire zone is still unsafe to enter.

A high-temperature geothermal field has been discovered under the thinning ice of Vatnajökull’s Esjufjöll mountains, revealed by historical aerial images reviewed by geologist Jón Viðar Sigurðsson.

Authorities are still taking stock of Mendenhall River flooding, but new temporary riverfront barriers appear to have staved off the kind of severe damage seen in 2024.

Researchers have relocated 20 Atlantic catfish to artificial kelp forest units in Melkøy Sound, Northern Norway, to test if reintroducing sea urchin predators can help restore kelp forests overgrazed by booming sea urchin populations.

A prolonged heatwave this summer reduced greenhouse cucumber yields in Finland—particularly in Närpes and Seinäjoki—leading to empty shelves nationally, though supply is expected to normalize by early September.

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.

An investigation into about 20 seals found dead along Finland’s southeastern coast in late July has ended inconclusively after an autopsy failed to determine the cause or timing of death.

A Pictou County farmer reports that many crops have failed after an irrigation pond and well dried up amid a prolonged dry spell, costing producers thousands in lost sales.

The herd has grown by about 23% since 2015, but it hasn't been easy. Many animals were lost in a series of hard, wet winters. Rain-on-snow events have become more common in the Interior.