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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

Melting glaciers increase supply of electrical power in Iceland
Melting glaciers in Iceland are contributing to an increased supply of electrical power. In the past ten years, the additional supply has amounted to one medium-sized power plant.
Iceland
RÚV

Images of Siglufjörður house damage emerge
There is considerable damage to a house on Aðalgatu in Siglufjörður after the roof came off in a storm last night. Ólöf Rún Erlendsdóttir, reporter, and Sölvi Andrason, cameraman, are in Siglufjörður and sent pictures of the damage.
Siglufjörður, Northeast, Iceland
RÚV

Humpack Salmon Spread in Iceland, Threatening Local Fish
Anglers caught dozens of humpback salmon in Eyjafjarðará river yesterday, RÚV reports. Humpack salmon are spreading in Iceland and threatening local fish species in Icelandic rivers.
Hjalteyri, Northeast, Iceland
Iceland Review

Possible wildfire-related fog in northern regions
A fog-like mist in northern Iceland may be connected to forest fires in Canada, with meteorologists suspecting that diluted smoke from the fires has reached the country due to prevailing winds blowing from west to east.
Iceland
RÚV

Scrapie Diagnosed in Northwest Iceland
The degenerative and fatal disease scrapie has been diagnosed in sheep at Bergsstaðir farm in Northwest Iceland. It is the first time the disease has been detected in the region, which will have an impact not just on Bergsstaðir but the entire district.
Iceland
Iceland Review

Twenty Rescued from Ski Lift in High Winds
Twenty people were rescued from a chairlift at the Hlíðarfjall ski area outside Akureyri. The lift stalled when the wire was blown off its spool by a strong blast of wind.
Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland
Iceland Review

Flowers bloom again in an unusually warm November
Kale is sprouting even though it's mid-November.  Eucalyptus, rock rose, and Lenten roses don’t seem to be in the mood for winter, as they still wear their summer colors of green and red. It has been warm over almost all of the country, and never in the history of the capital has been a hotter November than this year.
Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland

Landslide Disrupts Traffic in North East
Authorities state that although landslides are not common in this area, avalanches are. An approximately 50 to 70m stretch of road is affected, covered in about one metre of mud and debris.
Grenivík, Northeast, Iceland

Akureyri bottlenose whale found dead
The death of one of the bottlenose whales that have been entertaining residents and visitors in Akureyri was confirmed this weekend.
Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland

Good, though late, berry picking season
The berry picking promises to be good all over Iceland this year, even though it is starting late, due to the cool, wet summer. Arna, the lactose-free dairy company based in Bolungarvík, has already received a tonne of wild bilberries, which will be used in yoghurt for sale in shops all over Iceland.

Bacterial Infection Brucella Canis Suspected in Dogs in Iceland
The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) has reason to suspect that a bacterial disease called Brucella canis has been found in dogs in Iceland. RÚV reports that Bruncella canis can—in very rare instances—be transmitted from dogs to humans, with young children, pregnant, and immunocompromised people at the greatest risk of serious infection.

Warmest July on record in north and east
This July was the warmest on record in nearly all of North and East Iceland. The average temperature was above 14°C at several weather stations, and no average monthly temperature in Iceland is ever known to have been higher.

Continued river warnings in north
According to police sources, flow in the region’s swollen rivers dropped slightly overnight, but that this is likely explained because the air temperature usually drops overnight. Flow is expected to increase again today.
Hjalteyri, Northeast, Iceland

Landslide Damages Two Houses in North Iceland
No one was injured in a landslide that occurred yesterday in Varmahlíð, North Iceland, though two houses sustained significant damage. Nine homes on four different streets in the town have been evacuated. The evacuation will remain in force until after the region’s local Civil Protection and Emergency Management Committee meets this morning to assess the […]
Varmahlíð, Northwest, Iceland

Coldest June night in 43 years
The temperature in Akureyri last night dropped to -1°C, the coldest night this late in June since 1978—or 43 years ago.

Wildfire Alert Phase Spreads to Southeast Iceland
A wildfire alert is now in effect across roughly half of Iceland following weeks of dry weather and fires across the Southwest quadrant of the country.

Avalanche Causes Damage at Siglufjörður Skiing Grounds
No one was on the grounds when the avalanche occurred early this morning, though staff noticed it when they arrived in the area, located in Skarðsdalur valley. The ski lodge was displaced from its foundation by the avalanche.
Siglufjörður, Northeast, Iceland

Snowless winter and tough year overall
The winter so far has seen very little snow in Iceland. December snowfall was well below average in both Reykjavík and Akureyri. Meteorologist Elín Björk Jónasdóttir says it has been one of the least white winters in living memory so far.

Bleeding tar makes road travel hazardous
Vegagerðin (the Road and Coastal Administration) is encouraging people to postpone journeys on Route 1 in the west and northwest of the country due to significant amounts of tar bleeding from the road surface and causing considerable danger and damage to vehicles. Clumps of tar collect and harden on the tyres of passing vehicles, making driving treacherous. Chunks fly off and have been causing some serious damage.

Frost Damage Forces Farmers to Buy Hay
Sveinbjörn Þór Sigurðsson of Búvellir farm in Aðaldalur, North Iceland says 80-90% of his hay fields were frozen in spring, and dry weather exacerbated the situation.
Near Húsavík, Northeast, Iceland

Icelandic Bees on Road to Recovery
The bee population resurgence is thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sometimes, a terrible thing can also help."

Arctic Tern Arrives Early in Iceland
The first two arctic terns of the season were spotted in Southeast Iceland on Saturday morning, according to the Southeast Iceland Bird Observatory. Their arrival is two or three days earlier than usual. Bird enthusiasts across the country are following along with migratory species as they return to their breeding grounds in Iceland.

The changing behaviour of humpback whales
There are currently fewer minke whales and more humpbacks in Icelandic waters than usual for the time of year, and some appear to be skipping the southward migration altogether.
Húsavík, Northeast, Iceland

Brand new whale behaviour caught on video
Whale watchers in Eyjafjörður, North Iceland, witnessed something new and exciting during a tour last weekend. A marine biologist describes the hunting behaviour as unique and something never before seen around Iceland.
Hjalteyri, Northeast, Iceland

100 horses confirmed dead in storm
100 dead horses have been found following the major storm that hit Iceland last week. Some are still missing and the search continues. Some horses are known to remain in danger and vets say that farmers are exhausted.
Skagafjörður, Norðurland vestra, Iceland

Buildings Disappears under Snow: "We’ve never before had snow on this scale"
The building, 30 feet to the gable, is buried in snow.
Hofsós, Northwest, Iceland
Electroverse

43,000 litres of milk went to waste in the storm
The severe storm that hit Iceland last week had a major impact on farmers—largely because of power cuts and closed roads. Dairy farmers could not milk their cows during power cuts, and they could not refrigerate the milk that had been collected before the power went off. MS Iceland Dairies received 43,000 fewer litres of milk from farms last week than the week before.

Thousands Without Power in North Iceland
A storm bringing hurricane force winds and blizzard conditions is raging across the country.
Sauðárkrókur, Northwest, Iceland

December Heat Record Broken
December heat records were broken or equalled by at least 53 remote weather-monitoring stations and three manned stations in the first days of the month. The cause was a mass of warm air that moved across the country.

Sizable Sea-Cliff Chunk Collapses into Ocean
“I could hardly believe my eyes,” said Ingólfur Sveinsson, resident of the Skagi peninsula.
Sauðárkrókur, Northwest, Iceland

500 earthquakes recorded in northeast
An earthquake swarm that started on Saturday night just off the coast in the Öxarfjörður area of northeast Iceland is still going strong. Some 500 quakes have now been registered, including 60 over magnitude 2.0. The epicentre of most of them is around 30 kilometres west-north-west of Kópasker.
Öxarfjörður Area

Puffin changes on Arctic island
The season’s first puffins arrived on Grímsey island—the only part of Iceland to cross the Arctic Circle—a few days ago and the birds are generally arriving in Iceland significantly earlier each year than they used to.
Grímsey, Northeast, Iceland

First Puffins of the Year Arrive in Iceland
Svafar Gylfason spotted the year’s first puffin while fishing at sea near Grímsey island, North Iceland last weekend. He says the beloved bird’s appearance is a week earlier than it’s been in the past.
Grimsey, Northeast Iceland

Bad weather impacts grain harvest
Grain harvests in North Iceland this autumn do not look encouraging, farmers say. A frost in late August damaged the corn and wet weather in the autumn has delayed harvests.

Pollen Levels Well Above Average in Akureyri
According to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, pollen levels are considerably above the average for this time of year, causing considerable irritation for those with pollen allergies.
Akureyri, Norðurland eystra, Iceland

Global Warming Might Cause Increased Volcanic Activity in Iceland
When glaciers covered larger parts of Iceland, there was less volcanic activity in the country, a new study has found.

Common Rock Crab Spreads Quickly Across Icelandic Shores
The Common Rock Crab has begun to grow rapidly in number around Icelandic shores. It was first seen in Hvalfjörður, West Iceland, in the year 2006. This summer, it has reached Eyjafjörður in North Iceland.
Hrisey, Iceland

Twenty Humpbacks Spotted in Eyjafjörður
Visitors to Eyjafjörður fjord in North Iceland could be lucky enough to meet with the spectacle of up to 20 humpback whales currently sojourning there.
Eyjafjörður, Iceland

Heat Wave in Iceland
There is an unusually warm mass of air over Iceland. Thermometers rose to rare heights in the northeastern part of the country.
Húsavík, Northeast, Iceland

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