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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

Large-scale internet outage due to cut fiberoptic cable interrupts business as usual
On Sunday, Nomeites noticed that their internet wasn’t working and that cell service was spottier than usual. Large fiberoptic line was damaged by sea ice deep underneath the moving sea ice above.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Snow, wind and rain disrupt life as usual in Nome
Puddles on ice, slippery sidewalks and heavy wet snow berms are remnants of a three-day weather event that pummeled Nome and the region. According to UAF Climate Specialist Rick Thoman, “that’s the highest three day total on record for Nome in March in the past 116 years.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Polar bear fatally mauls woman and boy in Northwest Alaska village
A Wales resident shot and killed the bear. With the loss of sea ice and the ocean staying open later in the year, polar bears have been spending more time on land, which increases the chance of human encounters.
Wales, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

No sea ice in Grantley Harbor
December should have sea ice development in Norton Sound. But no sign of ice yet this year. Several storms have moved northward across the western Bering Sea and brought strong winds and bouts of above freezing weather to the Teller area and all of the Bering Strait region.
Teller, Alaska, United States
Richard L Thoman Jr, Kendra Lee, Anahma Shannon, Austin Ahmasuk, Kitrea P Takata-Glushkoff, Hajo Eicken

With less sea ice, expect seal pups near shore
On Sunday night, a plump ringed seal pup was spotted on the ice in front of Breaker’s Bar on Nome’s Front Street. UAF Alaska Sea Grant agent Gay Sheffield was called and moved the pup to a more secluded beach. The ice had likely gone out too fast and the mother finished up the normal weaning process on the ice chunks in front of Nome.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

This November's sea ice extent in the northern Bering is the best in years
Current sea ice extent in Northern Alaska waters is the highest it’s been since November 2001.
Alaska Public Media

Some Alaska seals are getting skinnier — probably because of retreating sea ice
As sea ice off Alaska continues its long-term vanishing trend, two seal species that depend on ice may be showing the effects in their bodies. Ribbon seals, distinctive for their black-and-white striped patterns on their fur, and spotted seals, known for their speckled coats, became thinner over time.
ArcticToday

Mild Temperatures and North Winds Contribute to Low Sea Ice Extent in Bering
Sea ice extent in the Bering Sea was at record low levels at the end of 2020. And with recent strong northerly winds combined with mild temperatures, sea ice coverage in the Bering Strait region is still not ideal.
KNOM Radio Mission

Minor to Severe Erosion Across the Region Caused by Strong Bering Sea Storm
Late last week a strong Bering Sea storm hit the region, bringing winds up to 50mph, blowing snow, and high-water. Some communities saw significant erosion while others were mostly unscathed.
KNOM Radio Mission

Colder weather brings Bering Sea ice extent and thickness to near normal, benefiting hunters
Even if a storm does hit Western Alaska, thicker sea ice will always be more resistant than last year’s ice was at this time, a climatologist says.
Anchorage Daily News

Man rescued from ice drifting in Bering Sea describes hours jumping from floe to floe
“It started breaking into pieces beneath us,” said Phillip Rode.
Anchorage Daily News

Shorefast Ice Breaks Off in Nome
Warm ocean temperatures are keeping ice thin, which become easily moved by the wind. This ice movement separates commercial and subsistence crabbers from their gear, and have led to the loss of both crabbing and mining gear.

Wales Loses Shorefast Ice
Wales lost shorefast ice early in the season. Ice along the shore has been crushed and broken. This is a very unusual event for Wales as many of our hunters rely on great ice conditions for whale and other sea mammal catch for food.
Wales, Alaska, United States

Back-to-back storms cripple business as usual in Nome
Back-to-back blizzards with tons of snow and high winds have hammered Nome since late January and the accumulation of a total of 76 inches of snow is now beginning to take a toll on residents.

Leads in Ice After Warm Storm
Leads appeared following a warm storm, in areas with usually stable, shorefast ice. The leads separate many crabbers from their pots, and are illustrative of how Norton Sound's recent erratic sea ice patterns are altering subsistence opportunities and patterns.

This winter saw second highest snowfall in recorded history
The snowfall in Nome over the winter didn’t break the all-time record but it came close. According to the National Weather Service, 115.5 inches of snow fell, making the winter of 2017/18 number two for snowfall since modern weather reporting began.

Nature follows its own break-up calendar
Looking seaward over the last week from almost all points along the coasts of Norton Sound, folks have been dazzled by bright blue horizons colored by open water.

Open water wreaks havoc at Little Diomede
Last Tuesday, February 20, residents of Little Diomede have seen the impossible. Instead of looking out at a frozen seascape of ice, they witnessed open water and high surf crashing onto the shores and coming up beyond the high water line.
Little Diomede, Alaska, United States

Why Alaska's Arctic tundra is slowly sinking
Alaska’s tundra landscapes carpet a good portion of the state, from the North Slope to the elbow of the Alaska Peninsula. Researchers say it's slowly sinking in places -- as much as a fifth of an inch each year.
Teller, Alaska, United States

No Permanent Winter Ice and Early Break Up For Nome

Unseasonably Warm and Rainy
Nome was hit by unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds.

No Sea Ice Yet
By this time of the year, we usually have 2-3 miles of shore-fast ice that sticks to our beach. We as a village have not done our winter harvest of seals and walrus, and we are worried that we will not be able to bowhead whale hunt.
Wales, Alaska, United States

Heavy Rains and Flooding
Heavy rains and flooding.

Poor Sea Ice - Our Sea Garden
The sea is our garden for food and other things.

Trapped on Sea Ice
A snowmachiner was trapped on the quickly moving floe and he was rescued later by a helicopter.

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