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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

Warm, Windy, Snowy, Wet, Cool Days!
"Our roads are slippery when there would be snow to where the children were out with their sled. Planes never cancelled as much as this year to where the flights were backed up to 3 or 4 days. Lately, we've been seeing grasses regrowing after it warms up out there."
Lower Kalskag, Alaska, United States

How Global Warming Fueled Five Extreme Weather Events
Scientists analyzed 27 extreme weather events from 2016 and found that global warming was a “significant driver” for most of them. We look at five cases.
The New York Times

Arctic saw 2nd warmest year, smallest winter sea ice coverage on record in 2017 | NOAA
A NOAA-sponsored report shows that the warming trend transforming the Arctic persisted in 2017, resulting in the second warmest air temperatures, above average ocean temperatures, loss of sea ice, and a range of human, ocean and ecosystem effects.
Arctic Region, World
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Chinook gusts up to 80 mph knock out power around Interior
Golden Valley Electric Association crews are still working to repair damage to power lines caused by warm chinook winds that blasted the Interior over the weekend, especially around Delta Junction.
Delta Junction, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Southern California Fires Surpass 115,000 Acres As Santa Ana Winds Drive Flames
Driven by fierce Santa Ana winds, four intense fires near Los Angeles grew to engulf more than 115,000 acres Thursday, and officials say residents should be prepared for even more strong winds through Friday.
Ventura County, California, United States
KCBX Central Coast Public Radio

‘It Burns and It Keeps Burning’: Scenes From Southern California’s Wildfires
Wildfires have burned more than 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Fighting them were professionals and homeowners with garden hoses.
Los Angeles, California, United States
The New York Times

Chordgrass (Spartina sp.) eradication at Goose Spit
Goose Spit Regional Park, Comox, British Columbia, Canada
Hilary Blackman, Colin Robinson, Tom Okey, Cory Frank, Laura Loucks

Wildfires In Southern California Force Thousands Of People To Flee
Multiple fires are burning in Southern California, claiming hundreds of structures and thousands of acres and closing many freeways and local roadways, according to state fire officials.
Santa Paula, California, United States
NPR
Richard Gonzales, Scott Neuman, Amy Held

Two moose calves die after likely eating poisonous ornamental plants
Two moose calves found dead outside separate Anchorage homes on Friday are believed to have died from eating poisonous ornamental plants.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
KTUU

Paper Mill Dam: Swimming Hole Monitoring
Paper Mill Dam, Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada

Warm & Rainy Fall Season
The past couple years have been warmer than normal contributing to where the river is still flowing ice and with some of the plants still green.
Lower Kalskag, Alaska, United States

As Oceans Warm, the World’s Kelp Forests Begin to Disappear
Tasmania, Australia
Yale Environment 360

Breathing Fire
As climate change fuels large wildfires, the pollution they're releasing is making Americans sick and undermining decades of progress in cleaning the air.
California to Pacific Northwest, United States
Climate Central

Climate change may boost wine production in southern Sweden
Founder Håkan Hansson convinced this is the world’s new wine region.
Malmö, Skåne, Sweden
Radio Sweden

Wind storm batters Maine
We put out the call for images of storm damage across the state Monday morning and our readers answered with some great shots.
Yarmouth, Maine, United States
Press Herald

A Not So Normal Summer
Drought, causing low waters in Goodnews River, no blackberries, and early cool weather.
Goodnews Bay, Alaska, United States

Late Bloomer-Wild Rose
An afterschool club have been monitoring rosehips and found this late-blooming flower.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Late Blooming Flowers
We do not ever recall having flowers blooming this late in the year.
Golovin, Alaska, United States

Slow going in fight against deadly fires in California
The wind known as the Diablo is picking up again, the air is dry, there is no rain in sight and the killer wildfires that have scorched the wine country of Northern California remain almost completely uncontained. Officials warned Wednesday that some of the big fires could merge. Amid these grim bulletins, the huge utility company PG&E acknowledged that the extreme winds late Sunday and early Monday had knocked trees into power lines in conditions conducive to wildfires.
North Bay, California, United States
GoErie.com
Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Kristine Phillips, Joel Achenbach - The Washington Post

Slugs plague Dillingham gardeners
Dillingham gardeners say that an uptick in slimy pests in recent years is making growing greens more difficult.
Dillingham, Alaska, United States
KDLG Dillingham

Unexpected birch forest grows on sand plain
An unexpected birch forest is growing on Skeiðarársandur sand plain, South Iceland.
Skeiðarársandur Sand Plain, Iceland
Iceland Review

Poor harvest hikes bilberry prices worldwide
Bilberry harvests have been poor in several key regions, and the dearth of berries in Eastern Europe especially has raised prices by as much as 70 percent in a year.
Scandinavia, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Video shows methane leaking from beneath an Arctic river after spectacular eruption
Gas bubbles from waters filling crater hole on Yamal peninsula two months after volcanic-style explosion in thawing permafrost.
Yamal-Nenets District, Russia
Siberian Times

Late Bloomer - Wild Rose Enjoying the Fall
Fairbanks rose bush blooming in early September, 2017.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Nahanni Butte residents told to stay out of community, as officials monitor nearby wildfire
Residents are now being asked to stay away from Nahanni Butte, N.W.T., after being forced out Thursday night by a forest fire burning close to the community.
Nahannie Butte, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC News

Small potatoes, big need: food bank blames bad weather for poor yield
The head of the Ottawa Food Bank says their ability to provide fresh produce to people in need has taken a hit this summer after a wet and cold growing season stunted production of staple foods like potatoes and carrots.
Stittsville, Ontario, Canada
CBC News

Late Bloomer - Salal / Laughing Berry (Gaultheria shallon)
Late blooming Laughing Berry (*Gaultheria shallon*) in Metlakatla
Metlakatla, Alaska, United States

Skagway rocked by second landslide in under 2 weeks
Early Tuesday morning, a rockslide crashed into Skagway’s largest cruise ship dock. It was the second slide event in less than two weeks and caused a pair of cruise ships to divert to other ports. Some Skagway residents are calling on the city and the private company that owns the dock to take action.
Skagway, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Landslides, floods, smoke: Prepare for climate change effects in Denali National Park
A new report identifies climate change as one of the challenges facing transportation in Alaska's most famous national park.
Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus) in Seldovia
Cloudberries observed in new area around Seldovia.
Jakolof Bay Headwaters, Alaska, United States

Day of reckoning for marine invaders
For centuries, marine species have moved around either by hitching ride on the hulls of ships or as stowaways in ballast water. In many instances, species have been deliberately introduced for aquaculture or other commercial purposes.
United Kingdom
Phys.org

Spruce beetle devastation returns to Southcentral Alaska — and moves north
Beetles that killed millions of acres of trees in the 1990s were a first sign of climate change. In a new flare-up, they continue marching north as Alaska warms.
Cantwell, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Researcher Strikes Alarm: May Mean Death to the Reindeer
A small caterpillar has already infected large areas of Norway's largest county. Scientists fear this may be the beginning of something far worse.
Alta, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
NRK Sápmi

Life returning to normal in Kamloops as wildfire evacuees head home
Looking around the deserted plaza in front of the Sandman Centre arena in Kamloops on Monday, it’s hard to believe that last month it was crammed with thousands of people who were looking for help after being forced from their homes by wildfires.
Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

Wildfires are a climate change wake-up call
Wildfires are sweeping B.C.
British Columbia, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Hundreds of firefighters battling largest wildfire ever recorded in B.C.
Hundreds of firefighters and dozens of aircraft are working to contain the largest wildfire ever recorded in British Columbia's history, and it could take weeks to get it under control.
Chilcotin Plateau, British Columbia
CBC News

Alaska's Grizzly Bears Drop Salmon for Berries as Climate Changes
When Kodiak Island's elderberries started ripening earlier, its iconic bears changed their diet. It's another ecological shift amid climate change, scientists say.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Hazy, smokey skies continue to blanket parts of the N.W.T. prompting health advisories
Lutselk'e, N.W.T. is one of several communities in the Northwest Territories that has been blanketed by smoke over the past few days thanks to strong south winds blowing smoke up north from fires burning south of Great Slave Lake.
Lutselk'e, Northwest Territories, Canada

Unknown Plant Growing on Nanwalek Beach
Unidentified plant found on Nanwalek Beach
Nanwalek, Alaska, United States

Changing Pingo (Palsa) Conditions
Enontekiö, Lapland, Finland

Permafrost Melt Causing River Erosion
Severe permafrost thaw and erosion along Koyukuk River banks.
Allakaket, Alaska, United States

Smoke from unusual Greenland wildfire hampers reindeer hunt
Smoke from a wildfire in southwestern Greenland is hampering the wild reindeer hunt on the Arctic island, best known for its ice rather than burning grass and bushes.
Nassuttooq Fjord, Greenland

Arctic Greenland is burning, hunters blinded by smoke
Smoke from a wildfire in southwestern Greenland is hampering the wild reindeer hunt on the Arctic island.
Nassuttooq Fjord, Greenland
ABC News

No end in sight for B.C. wildfires, one month since state of emergency declared
Wildfire conditions remained 'static' during the long weekend but fires still a concern through August
Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Yukon News

Human influence in the Amazon's third 1-in-100 year drought since 2005
Deforestation and climate change appear to be amplifying droughts in the Amazon
Amazon River
the Guardian

Climate change before your eyes: Seas rise and trees die
Savannah River, United States
ABC News

Growth on Rose Bush (Rosa acicularis)
Reddish growth on rosehip leaves
Gakona, Alaska, United States

Officials resort to artificial rain to tackle raging wildfires in Siberia
Fires have wreaked havoc this summer with Yakutia and the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous the latest to be hard hit.
Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia
The Siberian Times

Wildfire season living longer than usual due to hot dry weather
Hot, dry weather over the northern Interior is keeping wildfire season alive longer than normal.
White Mountains, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Indigenous fire clearing could prevent future wildfire infernos
One B.C. First Nation is preparing to revive traditional firekeeping to rejuvenate the forest and reduce the risk of destructive forest fires.
Peachland, British Columbia, Canada
Metro Vancouver

Beach Sand - Coastal Erosion
We are losing coastline due to erosion and this is a sad sight to witness.
Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States
Sandra Hill, Jacquelyn Overbeck, Mary Mullan

BC wildfires caused in part by and contributing to climate change
In some recent years, GHG emissions from BC wildfires have been more than from all other sectors put together
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
The Climate Examiner

First Ripe Blueberries (Vaccinium ovalifolium), South side of Wickersham Dome
Little early for blueberry to be ripe.
White Mountains National Recreation Area, Alaska, United States

Death cap mushrooms beginning to return to Victoria
A mycologist said the Amanita phalloides has sprouted up in Victoria again.
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Fight fire with fire: How First Nations practice of burning the land helps prevent megafires
The grandchildren of Annie Kruger remember her lighting an Export A Green cigarette, throwing on her logger's jacket and heading out to set fires near Penticton, B.C. — part of an ancient tradition of using flames to clear brush, renew growth and create natural fireguards.
Okanagan Region, British Columbia, Canada

'We never had fires like this for many years': Old Crow residents nervous about nearby fires
26 fires are burning in the Old Crow district but Yukon Wildland Fire says the community is not at risk
Old Crow, Yukon Territory, Canada

Early Flowering of Chinese Magnolia (soulangiana)
Flowering is occurring months early.
Maleny, Queensland, Australia

Newly found disease could threaten Southeast Alaska spruce
A fungus that’s damaged trees in Southcentral and Interior Alaska has been discovered for the first time in Southeast. But there’s a chance its spread could be stopped.
Shrine of St. Terese, Alaska, United States

Smoke from northeast Alaska fires drifts into Fairbanks
Smoke from a handful of fires in northeast Alaska and across the border in Canada drifted south to Fairbanks on Tuesday and is expected to linger through Wednesday night.
Fort Yukon, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

B.C. wildfires’ impact on animals ‘to be horrific’: wildlife rehab facility
A major wildlife rehabilitation facility is bracing for the devastating impact of the B.C. wildfires on birds and mammals.
Smithers, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Sun

Yellowknife fire ban extends to Yellowknife River, Fred Henne parks
A fire ban, announced yesterday, includes two territorial parks, the GNWT confirmed.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

Gas pipelines supplying Europe 'in real danger from exploding tundra' - top scientist
Pipes are built over bulging and unstable Arctic pingos prone to violent eruptions caused by 'thawing methane gas', as seen twice on the Yamal peninsula this year.
Yamal Region, Russia
The Siberian Times

California fires spread quickly, evacuation orders lifted in other parts of West
In other parts of the West, evacuation orders were lifted in Colorado and Montana towns threatened by wildfires
Santa Barbara County
CBS News

It's All a Month Early
A number of plants are growing oddly "out of season".
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

Caterpillars taking Anvil Mountain, inch by inch?
A biologist peers into his collection jar to find an example of the green caterpillars that have been dining on willow bushes, making brown batches on the landscape in and about Nome.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Caterpillar (Orthosia hibisci) Infestation Causes Defoliation
The village of Anvik along the west bank of the Yukon River has an increase in defoliation associated with caterpillar numbers.
Anvik, Alaska, United States
Derek Sikes, Alberta Walker, Jessie Moan

Wildfires burning across northern Alaska
Of the 89 wildfires burning across Alaska right now, several are in the northern part of the state, either in the Arctic or near its southern boundary.
Campbell River Fire, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder

A New Trend On The Great Plains: More Wildfires
Wildfires burned through thousands of acres of Great Plains farm and ranch land in the 1980s. Today, wildfires are likely to char millions of acres. The
Pine Ridge, Nebraska, United States
KUNC

An Interior wildfire sparks back up
A wildfire north of Delta Junction has reignited. The more than 8,000-acre South Fork Salcha Fire was started by lightning earlier this month in a remote area about 70 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
Delta Junction, Alaska, United States

Pine foliage disease apparently slowing
A foliage disease epidemic that killed shore pines near 10 Mile and other areas around Haines appears to have subsided, according to a U.S. Forest
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Plant Health and Condition
The leaves, in general, don't look too healthy. They seem to lack vitality and are shriveled in many places.
Chistochina, Alaska, United States
Gino Graziano, Jessie Moan, Wilson Justin

Change in Maple Sugaring
Farmers that "sugar" are frustrated with the short Spring sugaring season and are looking into alternate ways to collect the sap.
East Burke, Vermont, United States

Some Of Our Birches Are Dying

Climate change is catching up with gardeners: just look at the Chelsea flower show
What will British gardens look like in 20 years’ time? Robbie Blackhall-Miles finds some clues at the Chelsea flower show
Chelsea, England, United Kingdom
the Guardian

Fire Smoke Encroaching into Unalakleet
A haze surrounding the hills had a distinct smell of burned wood.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States

Late Bloom Of Moss
Late Mossberry (*Empetrum nigru*) Bloom

Study looks at climate change’s effects on Kodiak berries, wildlife
“We really don’t know when the problem started and whether it was a long-term situation this winter, but the bottom line is that it appears that salmonberry and blueberry were affected by the amount of cold and the depth of cold that we had that killed the winter buds and killed the above-ground stems of those plants,” Pyle said.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Food Forest Garden at NWIC Enjoying the Warm Weather
*Foodscaping a Tribal College* – The purpose of the project is to provide the Northwest Indian College (NWIC) and Lummi Communities with a model of food sovereignty and local access to organic, traditional foods.
Ferndale, Washington, United States

Don't panic, humanity's doomsday seed vault is probably still safe
A lot of water went into the start of the tunnel and then it froze to ice, so it was like a glacier when you went in,” Statsbygg spokeswoman Hege Njaa Aschim told the Guardian of the water breach.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Washington Post

Eastern US Trees Shift North, West With Climate Change
The northward shift to get to cooler weather was expected, but several experts were surprised by the move to the west, which was larger and in a majority of the species
Eastern forests, United States
VOA

‘Doomsday’ seed vault meant to survive global disasters breached by climate change
The seed bank designed to preserve the world’s crops and plants in the event of global disaster isn’t prepared to withstand the greatest global disaster facing our planet: global warming. Melting...
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Verge

A desperate plea for help as four African nations near a famine crisis
Somaliland villages
ABC News
CHRISTINE ROMO, DAVID MUIR, ENJOLI FRANCIS

Wildfires rage across Siberia and the Russian Far East
Dry conditions fuel dozens of fires and result in a state of emergency across the Siberian Federal District.
Bubnovka, Irkutsk, Russia
Siberian Times

1.4 million children to suffer acute malnutrition in Somalia
Somalia
Africanews

VIMS: Chesapeake Bay sees another record year in underwater grass abundance
Chesapeake Bay, United States
dailypress.com

Oxfam: Climate change deepening Horn of Africa's hunger crisis
Mogadishu, Banaadir, Somalia
Eyewitness News

Nuclear town on fire, with residents 'choking' from smoke
Facilities for producing weapons grade plutonium believed safe despite fierce flames caused by wildfires.
Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarskiy, Russia
Siberian Times

California wildflowers erupt in super bloom
Southern California is enjoying a wildflower super bloom after years of extreme drought.
Derby Acres, California, United States
CNN

California's Rare Super Bloom Flowers Are Migrating North
Carrizo Plain National Monument
The Huffington Post

B.C.'s provincial tree threatened by climate change, expert says
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

California wildflowers erupt in super bloom
Southern California is enjoying a wildflower "super bloom" after years of extreme drought.
Cardio Plain National Monument, California, United States
CNN

The Antelope Valley poppies have exploded into a spectacular burst of neon, signaling an end to drought
Antelope valley California Poppy Reserve, California, United States
latimes.com

First Blooms
Bellingham, Washington, United States

Flowering cacti observed in La Quinta, California
Bear Creek Trail, La Quinta, California, United States

Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica Harvest at NWIC Lummi Campus
NWIC Lummi Campus, Washington, United States

Amazon Deforestation, Once Tamed, Comes Roaring Back
"A decade after the “Save the Rainforest” movement captured the world’s imagination, Cargill and other food giants are pushing deeper into the wilderness."
Coari, Amazonas, Brazil
HIROKO TABUCHI, CLAIRE RIGBY and JEREMY WHITE

Logging Crew Mobilizes Near Irreplaceable Wetland, Slated for Site C Flooding
Watson Slough, Peace River region
DeSmog Canada

How tundra wildfires could create an unstoppable cycle
The 2007 fire was probably the first for that area in 6,500 years, according to scientific evidence examined later, Higuera said. But the wait for the next big burn won't be nearly as long, according to the evidence gathered in the study.
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, United States
Alaska Dispatch News

Muuelomuuel (Red Flowering Currant Ribes sanguineum) Flowering
Flowers blooming near the mouth of the Klamath River
Klamath, California, United States

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