Background Articles

The seabirds are struggling because of climate-linked ecosystem shifts — which can affect the supply and the timing of available food — as well as a harmful algal bloom and a viral outbreak in the region, she said. And their peril jeopardizes the human communities, as well: "Birds are essential to our region — they are nutritionally and economically essential," said Sheffield.

Marine hunters of eastern Chukotka often encounter "stinky" whales whose meat is unsuitable for food. The situation has become a problem for local residents. Researchers from Moscow State University and the Beringia National Park believe they have found the causes of an unpleasant odor in animals.

A 20-year-old treaty keeps Alaska and Canada working together, even through the devastating king and chum salmon collapse.

As of Tuesday, the fire which prompted the evacuation of the city two weeks ago was still 15 kilometres west of Yellowknife. Fire officials declared the fire as "being held" on Monday. According to N.W.T. Fire information officer, it's still unsafe to bring back the bulk of the residents to Yellowknife.

The Kluane First Nation in Yukon is leaning into alternative energy. The nation has a new wind turbine towering over Kluane Lake with biofuel and solar energy projects also in the works. The wind turbine is expected to generate power for the residents of Burwash Landing by spring.

Homes, fish camps, and destroyed subsistence gear that haven’t already been repaired or replaced still won’t qualify for individual assistance under new policies that take effect in March 2024.

The behemoth snowman that stole Anchorage’s heart years ago is back — as big as always, and looking friendlier than ever.

Dengue is erupting in South America — and has even found its way to the US.

The disease and virus likely exist well beyond the state’s borders, making the new name more scientifically accurate, officials say.

Amid the highest water levels seen since 2005, the city urges residents to be prepared for things to get worse.

Scientists have identified a key nutrient source used by algae living on melting ice surfaces linked to rising sea levels. They discovered that phosphorus containing minerals may be driving ever-larger algal blooms on the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The animal was until now called a Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale. The species is considered the region’s only baleen whale, known for comb-like plates in their mouths that strain food in lieu of teeth.The new name designation awaits recognition from a committee, in a process similar to peer review. Scientists have suggested calling the animal the Rice’s whale, after Dale Rice, a biologist who first recognized them in the gulf.

Three charters flew to distribute 10,921 pounds of donated king salmon to Bush and rural Alaska communities.

As the deepest and most northern of the Great Lakes, Superior was once thought immune to algal blooms, which is why it was such a shock when the first report of blue-green algae came in 2012.

Second of three parts: As salmon stocks have crashed on the Yukon River, so has a key source of income in fish-dependent communities.

Ida Wessman, 28, bought her family's herd of reindeer after her father passed away five years ago. "It's been going pretty well. With this industry you've got high points and low points," Wessman said, alluding to severe 2019-2020 weather that killed 15,000 of the animals.

Sixteen miles (26km) off the windswept coast of northern Scotland, the future of renewable energy is taking shape. Rotating rhythmically in the breeze, the five colossal turbines of the Hywind Scotland wind farm look much like any other off-shore wind project, bar one major difference – they're floating.

By summer, the heart of Alaska’s road system will feature a string of fast-charging stations between Fairbanks and the Kenai Peninsula.

Weather systems that carry warm air inland, bringing not just rain, but also pushing up freezing levels, causing rapid snowpack melting. The atmospheric river hitting B.C.'s central coast will also pose a risk in the Interior.

Fall moose hunts are beginning across Alaska. In western parts of the state, biologists hope that hunting pressure will help protect the health of booming populations. They also want to know why there are so many moose in the first place. It may have a lot to do with shrubs — particularly scrubby willows shooting up at the edges of open tundra. Moose feast on their leaves during the spring and summer. These short woody plants are spreading west, aided by climate change, and moose populations are expanding along with them.