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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

Kuskokwim River breakup floods roads, impacts drinking water for some communities
The Kuskokwim River breakup has led to widespread flooding, affecting roads and drinking water in several communities, with Kwethluk experiencing significant impacts.
Bethel, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

10-mile Lower Kuskokwim ice jam causes flooding, high water
A 10-mile ice jam on the Lower Kuskokwim River has caused severe flooding in Tuluksak, with the area experiencing its worst flooding in over a decade.
Aniak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Evan Erickson, KYUK - Bethel and Sage Smiley, KYUK

Southern Brazil is still reeling from massive flooding as it faces risk from new storms
Southern Brazil is grappling with severe flooding, with further storms and heavy rains forecasted, causing widespread displacement and damage.
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
AP News

Strong pollen spread in Eastern Norway
Extreme pollen spread in Eastern Norway is causing significant discomfort for allergy sufferers due to a combination of a long winter, delayed spring, and sudden warm, dry weather.
Norway
NRK

Close encounters with curious Juneau killer whale a reminder of city's wild nature
Before she knew what was happening, a large female killer whale lifted Bloom’s paddleboard up out of the water. “And at that moment it was like terror,” Bloom said.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

For one Utqiaġvik family, spring bowhead whaling marks an important milestone
The article describes a Utqiagvik family's significant milestone in catching the first bowhead whale of the spring season, amidst challenges posed by climate change affecting sea ice stability.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Found all the newborn reindeer calves killed by eagles
Reindeer herder Risten Inga Eira reports all newborn calves in her district have been killed, highlighting increased predator attacks and the community's frustration with the rising eagle population.
Tromsø, Troms, Norway
NRK

'There's no water': This duck hunter in Fort Smith, N.W.T., went out and found no ducks
A duck hunter in Fort Smith, N.W.T., found his usual hunting grounds dried up and devoid of wildlife due to recent wildfires and record-low water levels.
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Remnants of the bird flu virus have been found in pasteurized milk, the FDA says
The FDA found pasteurized milk containing inactive bird flu virus remnants from infected dairy cows, but maintains the milk supply is safe.
United States
NPR

The parasite Kudoa transforms coastal cod into an unrecognizable mucus lump
The parasite Kudoa is causing trouble for the fishing industry in the southern hemisphere. By chance, researchers found the scary parasite in coastal cod from the Helgeland coast.
Hægeland, Agder, Norway
NRK

Russia's Record Floods Submerge Uranium Mines in Urals
Environmentalists say the latest flooding may have sent radioactive substances into the river, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people living near the banks of the Tobol downstream. State nuclear agency Rosatom, whose subsidiary operates the mines at the Dobrovolnoye uranium deposit, denied that its mining facilities were impacted by the flood.
Seversk, Tomsk, Russia
The Moscow Times

Nome and the region hit with back-to-back snow storms
Three weeks in a row, residents of Nome and the Southern Seward Peninsula Coast received winter storm warnings from the National Weather Service. Seven out of the last eight springs have been unusually stormy. This spring alone, since March, there have been eight significant storm days.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Up to five inches of rain brings landslide, road flooding
An East Hillcrest Ave. home was damaged in a mudslide brought by heavy rains Thursday afternoon.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

Moose attacks 15-year-old girl
A 15-year-old girl in Bodø¸ narrowly escaped a moose attack on her way to school, an incident captured on video and highlighting the increased aggression of moose during spring.
Bodø, Nordland, Norway

Nuclear expert fears flooded radioactive dump sites in Siberia can threaten Arctic Ocean
Floodwaters in Tomsk region threatens to submerge the river banks in Seversk where highly radioactive liquid waste from the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons program for decades were injected into two unprotected underground reservoirs.
Seversk, Tomsk, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

Partial Dam Collapse in Siberia’s Tomsk Region as River Swells
The swelling Tom River in southwestern Siberia has led to a partial dam collapse in the city of Tomsk. This year’s heavy rainfall, combined with abnormally warm spring weather, has led to severe flooding in Russia’s Urals and western Siberia. So far, the floods have submerged around 15,600 homes and 28,000 land plots in 193 Russian towns and cities across 33 regions.
Tomsk, Tomsk, Russia
The Moscow Times

Russia’s Orenburg Orders Mass Evacuation as City Braces for Flood Peak
The mayor of the southern Russian city of Orenburg urged residents to evacuate immediately on Friday as water in the nearby Ural River reached critically dangerous levels and was not expected to recede until next week.
Оренбург, Orenburg, Russia
The Moscow Times

Thousands without power, homes destroyed after storms batter Mississippi
In a post on X, Governor Tate Reeves said that there are approximately 32,000 power outages across the state.
Philadelphia, Mississippi, United States

'Worst floods in decades' hit Kazakhstan and Russia
Unprecedented flooding strikes Kazakhstan and Russia, marking the worst in decades for the region. The worse than usual seasonal floods have been caused by melting snow. Across the border in Russia, an oil refinery in the city of Orsk, 1,800km southeast of Moscow, has stopped operations because of the floods.
Orsk, Orenburg, Russia
BBC

King crab boom in northern Norway has become multi-million dollar industry
This crab from the Pacific Ocean was once introduced into the Barents waters of the Soviet Union in Arctic Russia. Since then the invasive species has spread to Norway’s Barents Sea and a multi-million dollar industry has sprung up around it. In 2023 Norway exported 2,500 tons of king crab worth 1,2 billion kroner (€100 million).
Barrents, Norway
The Independent Barents Observer

Avalanche stopped short of ski resort
Several avalanches have fallen in Eskifjörður in the last few days, and the Met Office assesses a considerable risk of avalanches in the mountains of the Eastfjords, the Trölli Peninsula, and Eyjafjörður.
Eskifjörður, East, Iceland
RÚV

NOAA responds to entangled whale in Unalaska's Iliuliuk Bay
Authorities are gathering images and information to coordinate helping an entangled humpback in Unalaska’s Iliuliuk Bay.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States

Tiny amount of radioactive iodine measured in Tromsø
The isotope measured in air in Tromsø for now is unknown. The isotope comes from a nuclear reactor, and is used in medial diagnostic.
Tromsø, Troms, Norway
The Independent Barents Observer

Strong 7.2 earthquake strikes off Hualien
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake, the largest in 25 years, struck off the coast of Hualien, Taiwan, causing nine deaths, hundreds of injuries, and significant structural damage.
Hualien City, Taiwan, Taiwan

The Hope Dog Sled Race Attracts a Polar Bear to Uelen
A polar bear was drawn to the Hope Dog Sled Race in Chukotka, Russia, an unusual event for the area. It is the third recent visit of a bear to the village. In size and build, the polar predator is similar to the same bear thatdisturbedlocal residents on the night of March 28.
Uelen, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia
Prochukotku

Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfires
Cows at two Texas dairy farms have contracted bird flu, marking the first known instance of the disease in livestock, amidst recovery from devastating wildfires.
Lubbock, Texas, United States
The Texas Tribune

Peak Bloom Is Here, the 2nd Earliest on Record
Peak bloom of the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, happened on March 17, ahead of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., United States
Northern Virginia Magazine

A warming island's mice are breeding out of control and eating seabirds. An extermination is planned
The past few decades have been the most significant for the damage the mice have caused, said Dr. Anton Wolfaardt, the Mouse-Free Marion project manager. He said their numbers have increased hugely, mainly due to rising temperatures from climate change, which has turned a cold, windswept island into a warmer, drier, more hospitable home.
Marian, Prince Edward Islands
AP News

Heavy rain heading towards Finland on Thursday
Early March's relatively mild start will get wetter in southern areas on Thursday, when a significant amount of rainfall is expected — with up to a full centimetre expected in western areas.
Finland
News

Houston man injured in moose trampling outside his home
A Houston man was injured by a moose near his home, an unusual event linked to increased moose aggression due to harsh winter conditions.
Houston, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

One of the rarest fish on the planet is dying in the Keys. Scientists are struggling to find out why
Sawfish, and about 30 other species of fish, are turning up sick and dying in the Lower Keys as questions mount over what's causing it.
Key West, Florida, United States
WLRN

Incredibly rare: Gray whale, extinct in Atlantic for 200 years, spotted south of Nantucket
A gray whale, presumed extinct in the Atlantic for over 200 years, was spotted by the New England Aquarium team south of Nantucket, suggesting climate change effects.
Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
Inquirer and Mirror

An angry moose and bare ground mark a brutal first quarter for Iditarod teams
Iditarod teams faced a challenging first quarter with bare ground damaging sleds and a dangerous encounter with an aggressive moose that injured a dog.
McGrath, Alaska, United States
Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Blizzard leads to four-day power outage in Akulivik
KRG’s civil security director Craig Lingard said that in the last decade or so, “we have seen increased snowfall, even more so on the Hudson coast communities.”
Akulivik, Quebec
Nunatsiaq News

A massive blizzard howls in the Sierra Nevada. High winds and heavy snow close roads and ski resorts
A powerful blizzard raged in the Sierra Nevada as the biggest storm of the season shut down a long stretch of I-80 in California.
Truckee, California, United States
AP News

Shortening ice season on Chistochina River
"The river was iced over for less then 6 weeks! As opposed to 5 months of ice 2 to 3 feet thick before climate change."
Chistochina, Alaska, United States
Wilson Justin, Robert Busey, Crane Johnson

Fort Smith residents should expect heavy smoke this week as wildfire burns 38 kilometres away
There's a wildfire burning near Fort Smith, N.W.T., about 9,000 hectares in size. Fire crews are currently at the scene. People are being evacuated from the Taltson Dam area "out of an abundance of caution," the territory says.
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

The first case of a walrus dying of bird flu registered on Svalbard
“Last year we got several reports from tourists and scientists that they saw around six walruses dead here on the west side of Svalbard. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sample them as the dead walruses drifted away by the time we got to the place. But it’s not normal to get so many reported dead walruses in such a small area," said Christian Lydersen, senior scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Now samples (collected by a Station Manager in July 2023) have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen

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