The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

Summer of ? April 1st was the official start of the wildfire season. So far, Alaska is off to a pretty mild start with normal risk levels anticipated for the spring and early summer. Hopefully we will see a season like last year, which had the lowest acres burned since 2008. What actually defined the summer of 2020 in Alaska was all the rain. In the north of Russia, however, the 2020 fire season was all about the heat. Record temperatures got things going early and in Siberia (particularly northern and eastern) an unusually big fire season with as much as 64 million acres burned by some estimates. This year the fire season is already underway in the Novosibirsk region (see story from the Siberian Times). As the pendulum swings, we will wait to see what kinds of events 2021 will bring. From the Resilience Desk, see the CBC article about Inuit strategies for adaption in Labrador. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	Wildfire infernos in Western Siberia as drivers in Novosibirsk region report zero visibility Omsk, Omsk, Russia Siberian Times / April 26, 2021 Omsk region reported ‘record high’ number of wildfires and cases of dry grass burning, that turn into wildfires this spring, with one day last week counting nearly a thousand new events a day. Omsk region emergency services said the number of wildfires is seven to ten times above the norm. Read article on Siberian Times
	Here's how Labrador Inuit are leading the way by adapting to the curveballs of climate change Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Lindsay Bird / CBC / April 15, 2021 Mitigations and adaptations to climate change within Nunatsiavut are multiplying, but all share one element: they're being led locally. Read article on CBC
	Fearing bird flu: Fisherman found 30 dead birds in three weeks Kjerringholmen, Fredrikstad, Viken, Norway Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen / NRK / April 17, 2021 Odd Sørensen discovered this dead whooper swan on 10 April. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has received daily reports of dead birds and are asking the public to help report bird mortality in particular with ducks, geese, swans, seagulls, eagles, buzzards, crowd and ravens. Read article on NRK
	State watching rabies attacks, new strain potential issue Topsham, Maine, United States Chance Viles / Press Herald / April 26, 2021 A recent spate of attacks on humans and pets by foxes in Topsham may be in part due to a new strain of rabies. As of April 18, there have been five such attacks in Topsham this year. State Veterinarian Michele Walsh theorizes a rabies strain more associated with raccoons has begun infecting gray foxes. Read article on Press Herald
	Windy March Storms in Wales Cause Concern for Future Wales, Alaska, United States Colin O'Connor / KNOM Radio Mission / April 16, 2021 March brought a series of storms across the Seward Peninsula, and in one Bering Strait community that meant a series of power outages. The storms are stronger than residents recall in the past. Read article on KNOM Radio Mission
	44 percent increase in unique ships entering Canada's Northwest Passage, says report Ellis Quinn / Eye on the Arctic / April 14, 2021 The number of ships entering Canada's Northwest Passage, and the distances sailed, are all increasing, says a new report from the Arctic Council. Read article on Eye on the Arctic
	Building breaks in middle and collapses 10 meters as thawing permafrost no longer supports stilts Черский, Нижнеколымский район, Sakha, Russia Siberian Times / April 6, 2021 Arctic permafrost is degrading much faster than expected, warn scientists from the extreme north of Yakutia. It took two years for a building in the port town of Chersky on the Kolyma River, to snap in the middle after the once solid permafrost could no longer hold its supporting foundation. Read article on Siberian Times

The Northern Climate Observer is published by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news coverage from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events. Thank you for reading our newsletter and for paying attention to our changing world.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern Climate Observer is published weekly by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
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