The expedition revealed that gannets have easy access to plastic, as their nests are mostly made from plastic debris. Hundreds of dead gannets were also observed by the experts, with it being estimated that three factors played a role in their deaths: natural attrition, bird flu, and plastic pollution.

A rare, emaciated fin whale was found dead near Kodiak, Alaska, with the local Sun'aq Tribe conducting a necropsy. There isn’t enough data for biologists to declare a trend yet, but these whales are being found on the heels of an unusual mortality event for gray whales in the Pacific Ocean.

A 52-foot fin whale carcass appeared on a San Diego beach with no clear cause of death; it was towed back to sea.

The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, creating a sliver blanket along a stretch of beach about a kilometer (0.6 mile) long. Takashi Fujioka, a Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute said the fish may have been chased by larger fish, become exhausted due to a lack of oxygen while moving in a densely packed school, and were washed up by the waves.

The virus was first reported among brown skua on Bird Island, off South Georgia. Since then, researchers and observers have reported mass deaths of elephant seals, as well as increased deaths of fur seals, kelp gulls and brown skua at several other sites. Researchers warn of one of ‘largest ecological disasters of modern times’ if the highly contagious disease reaches penguin colonies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area's opening is delayed again due to warm weather and rain, with no new target date set for the season start.

A dog at the Kodiak Animal Shelter was euthanized after testing positive for canine distemper, leading to a quarantine and a halt on adoptions.

Avian influenza or “bird flu” is hitting Bay Area poultry farms hard, with a quarter of a million birds euthanized in Sonoma County this week alone. Mike Weber, the co-owner of Sunrise Farms in Petaluma, says around 82,000 of his egg-laying chickens had to be euthanized after birds started testing positive for avian flu.

Things were returning to normal in Pangnirtung on Monday after an extreme winter storm left parts of the community without electricity for close to four days.

In Fort Simpson, the weather is still not cold enough to open the community's ice rink. Young athletes in the community say they are struggling to adapt.

Eielson Air Force Base's EOD team safely detonated a historic TNT cache from WWII-era Alaska Highway construction discovered near Tok.

There are miles of dead fish washing up on the beach. That's not all. Just breathing the air can be harmful.

Cambodian authorities reported two cases of avian flu, including an 11-year-old girl who died of the virus, the UN health agency said on Sunday.

As the world’s glaciers retreat, so does the outlook for the Alaska tourism sector. But the pace of that retreat is still in human hands.

Open water in February.

A red tide bloom was found in multiple areas of coastal Collier County. Individuals with chronic respiratory problems should be cautious and stay away from this location, as red tide can affect breathing. Residents near the beaches are encouraged to close windows and run the air conditioners.

The reason for the uptick in human-triggered avalanches this winter: persistent weak layers in the snowpack.

A major winter storm is continuing to bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions and significant ice from California to the Northeast on Thursday.

It has been a rough winter season for many outdoor activities in New Hampshire, but a below-average snowpack is hitting the snowmobile industry especially hard.

A French tourist in Whitehorse somehow defied the odds last week when she fell through thin ice into a lake, several times, and still managed to pull herself out of the water to safety, unharmed.