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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

Pussy Willows at Kotzebue during winter
Pussy willows sprouting on March 1st! This is the second time in Kotzebue that a March bloom has been documented in LEO Network., but this time it is much earlier.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
Katie Spellman, Jimmy Evak, Richard L Thoman Jr

Encouraging signs in Huu-ay-aht rivers, despite salmon declines elsewhere
Observations this year from Huu-ay-aht territory see that volume of herring may finally be improving, as the First Nation is reporting a growing number of wild salmon migrating through its rivers.
Anacla 12, British Columbia, Canada
Ha-Shilth-Sa

Wild and windy winter "worst in 20 years"
A steel-framed building was broken apart by wind in Hafnarfjörður on Friday, search & rescue teams attended over a hundred call-outs, and Hellisheiði and other important roads were closed once more. February was one of the coldest and windiest for many years.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
RÚV

Arctic sea ice reached its maximum extent at a near-record early date
The melt season for Arctic sea ice is underway after the annual maximum extent was reached late last month. Sea ice extent reached its annual maximum on Feb. 25, 15 days earlier than the 1981-2010 average date and one of the earliest dates for that milestone in the four-decade satellite record.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States
ArcticToday

Even Japan’s snowiest towns are overflowing with record snow
Central and northern Japan have received record snowfall this week, with some locations seeing as much as 12 feet.
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Washington Post

Bering Sea ice reaches St. Paul for a week, now recedes north
The main Bering Sea ice pack has begun its retreat to the north after extending to the Pribilofs earlier this month. This winter’s freeze-up has been reminiscent of more historical sea ice conditions.
Pribilof Islands
KNOM Radio Mission

Stormy weather canceled flights to Dillingham, leaving some passengers waiting days in Anchorage
Only two passenger flights from Anchorage made it to Dillingham within the last week — one on Saturday and one on Monday. Another flight is expected Tuesday afternoon.
Dillingham, Alaska, United States
KDLG

Storms kill three in Poland as strong winds pummel central Europe
Video footage shows a 30m crane tower being toppled by the severe weather in Krakow.
Kraków, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
The Independent

Landslide briefly blocks access to hydro dam after record rainfall in Sitka
Rainfall in Sitka broke records on Wednesday, and February is shaping up to exceed the month’s typical rainfall by leaps and bounds.
Sitka, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Eleven polar bears were driven away from the Chukchi village of Neshkan
The report came from game managers in the Chukotka region. Predators were noticed on the night of February 17-18 and were driven away from the settlement on snowmobiles by employees of the "Bear Patrol". Earlier, a similar incident occurred in Lavrentiya. At the same time, in the village of Ryrkaypiy, Egvekinot city district, where from year to year the walrus rookery attracted dozens of polar predators, everything is still calm due to the vast ice field.
Нешкан, Чукотский район, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia

Whale’s body spotted near Tenakee Inlet
The humpback whale was first reported dead or stranded on Killisnoo Island on Feb. 10th, by Alaska Marine Highway System personnel, said Sadie Wright, a large whale entanglement response coordinator with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division. The animal with a long history in the area has been necropsied.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

40-Meter High Wave Hits Icelandic Coast
The Road and Coastal Administration reported record-high waves at the south coast of Iceland as a severe storm swept the county.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
The Reykjavik Grapevine

Extreme Weather Across Iceland Causes Power Outages and Damage
A winter storm caused power outages and property damage across Iceland. Winds reached speeds of 40 meters per second (89 mph) in the Southwest region, though precipitation was less than forecasted. See related article: A total of ten waves of 25 meters high and four waves over 30 meters high were recorded. A 40 m wave was the highest recorded since 1990.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
Iceland Review

Uncommonly consistent, strong winds rip through Western Alaska
These windy conditions have started to negatively impact sea ice coverage in the Bering Strait. Based on satellite imagery and observations from residents across the region, more open water has started to appear along coastlines and thicker ice has been pushed around, climatologist Rick Thoman said. He noted that sea ice conditions are drastically different in the Bering Strait than they were five days ago.
Nome, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Record capelin catch landed
Börkur NK docked in Seyðisfjörður this weekend with a hold full of capelin. The fish took 18 hours to land and came in at 3,400 tonnes—which is likely the most capelin ever landed from a single tour in Iceland, according to a statement from Síldarvinnslan.
Seyðisfjörður, East, Iceland
RÚV

‘Blue Blob’ Is Slowing Icelandic Glacier Melt — For Now
Icelandic glaciers have been losing mass since the Little Ice Age, but that process has slowed over the last decade thanks to the influence of what scientists have dubbed the Blue Blob, “an area of regional cooling in the North Atlantic Ocean to the south of Greenland.
Iceland Review

Are ills of the Arctic hitting California? Hundreds of migratory seabirds wash ashore
Over the last two years, more than 500 northern fulmars were found sick or dead along the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts. What is ailing these seabirds?
Point Arena, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Sprat: New Fish Species Breeding Off Iceland’s Coast
Researchers have confirmed that the fish species sprat is spawning in Icelandic waters, according to a new report from Iceland’s Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. Sprat has been found in significant numbers off the south and west coast and spawned near Ísafjarðardjúp fjord in the Westfjords last year.
Westfjords, Iceland
Iceland Review

Are ills of the Arctic hitting California? Hundreds of migratory seabirds wash ashore
Over the last two years, more than 500 northern fulmars were found sick or dead along the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts. What is ailing these seabirds?
Albion, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Team of biologists makes daring rescue of loons trapped in iced-in waters
The openings were left after ice-in started during a cold snap, but didn’t quite finish in the deepest parts of the lake, about a quarter of a mile off shore. The two loons were stuck and unable to take off, because common loons require a water “runway” to push off and get airborne. Farther up the lake, three other loons were stuck in similar fashion.
Lovell, Maine, United States
Press Herald

Atmospheric river brings record rain, swollen rivers and unstable snowpack to Juneau
The nearly 3.5 inches at the city’s official monitoring station was a daily record – the most rain that’s fallen on January 21st ever – and also a monthly record – the most rain that has ever fallen in January.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Seabirds were not killed by flu
Close to 300 birds were found during a sweep of East Fjords beaches. No sign of bird flu was found in samples from dead seabirds. It is thought likely the birds died of hunger, as most were very thin. No widespread seabird deaths have been reported in any other region at this time.
Djupivogur, East, Iceland
RÚV

Fox attacks two dogs in Coral Harbor
Since November, six foxes and three dogs in Nunavut have been found to be infected with rabies. Wednesday’s fox attack brings the total to seven foxes and five dogs with likely rabies infections.
Coral Harbour, Nunavut, Canada
Nunatsiaq News

Roofs, sheds collapse after heavy snow then rain
Heavy snow followed by rain last week damaged homes around town. Shori Heaton awoke on Sunday to find that her woodshed had collapsed under a wet
Haines, Alaska, United States
Chilkat Valley News

Winter storm whipping northeast U.S. with snow, thunderstorms
A dangerous winter storm is whipping the East Coast with significant snowfall, strong thunderstorms and blustery winds. Meteorologists said a foot or more of snow fell in parts of New York state, Ohio and Pennsylvania through Monday.
Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania, United States
PBS NewsHour

Freeze up on Lower Kenai River
Cold on the Peninsula! Cabin owner on Kenai River near Soldotna says they have not seen it frozen like this in years.
Funny River, Alaska, United States

Tsunami threat recedes from huge Pacific volcanic eruption
The tsunami threat around the Pacific from a huge undersea volcanic eruption began to recede Sunday, while the extent of damage to Tonga remained unclear. Satellite images showed the spectacular eruption that took place Saturday evening, with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a mushroom above the blue Pacific waters.
Tongatapu, Tonga
AP NEWS

Ravages of extreme weather "Gyda"
Extreme weather event Gyda already set 20 new January precipitation records in Norway. Vinjeøra in Trøndelag was closed due to extreme damage. NRK reporter Arne Kristian Gansmo compares the asphalt with "an accordion".
Western Norway
NRK

Yakutat declares disaster as hazardous winter weather hits Southeast Alaska
With millions of dollars in damage to a new health clinic and imperiled infrastructure, the borough is requesting help from the National Guard. Yakutat has seen up to 6 feet of snow in recent weeks and a rare cold snap that pushed temperatures below zero.
Yakutat, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Meltdown: Heavy snow chased by rain prompts closures, concerns
Concern builds as rain increases weight of snow pack
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Bird flu outbreak in northern Israel ebbs; no humans harmed, officials say
An outbreak of avian flu that has killed vast numbers of domestic and wildfowl in recent weeks in northern Israel has likely reached its peak and began to abate over the past week, officials said Friday. In the Hula Lake Reserve, some 5,000 cranes died of the disease. The grim job of collecting crane carcasses from the lake by the ministry’s staff and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority was expected to end on Monday, the report said.
Hula Lake Reserve, Israel
Times of Israel

Dunleavy issues disaster declaration for Interior Alaska and Mat-Su storms
Extreme winds and cold temperatures have affected the areas. At one point over the weekend, 20,000 households in Mat-Su lost power.
Palmer, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Residents of East Texas town report fish falling from sky
A rare phenomenon that occurred in Texarkana, a city on the northeast border of Texas and Arkansas, has its residents asking, “What the — fish?” Multiple...
Texarkana, Arkansas, United States
Dallas News

Challenging pastures for reindeer: Difficult conditions in Nordland and Troms, grazing crisis in Indre Finnmark
Changing weather with a lot of snow, rain and strong frost with icing, has made it difficult for the reindeer to reach lichen and moss on the ground in Nordland.
Indre Finnmark, Troms og Finnmark Fylke, Norway
NRK

Fairbanks is riding a weather roller coaster, from freezing rain to snow and frigid cold
Department of Transportation crews are battling a thick coating of ice on roads, and the local utility, Golden Valley Electric, continues working to restore electricity to pockets of customers.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Lake Tahoe sees 16 feet of snow in December, crushing records
Following a year of both extreme heat and drought, Lake Tahoe has seen a record breaking amount of snow this December.
Truckee, California, United States
ABC News

Unexpected Warm Weather in December
Spring like thaw a week after winter begins: During the 3 days it got warm and the water going its usual route as it does in the spring when it thaws out, but this was a week after winter began.
Anvik, Alaska, United States

Heavy snow load collapses roof of Delta Junction’s only grocery store
The winter storm that dumped snow and freezing rain on the Interior over the holiday weekend also caused the roofs of two buildings in Delta Junction to partially collapse Sunday.
Delta Junction, Alaska, United States
KUAC

Winter Heat Wave: Kodiak temperature breaks state record-highs
Kodiak residents went to the trails on Sunday, taking advantage of record-breaking high temperatures. The Kodiak Airport reported temperatures reached 65 degrees that day, the warmest temperature ever recorded in Kodiak between Oct. 5 and April 21 of any year.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Kodiak Daily Mirror

A huge Alaska caribou herd's population is again in decline
One of the largest caribou herds in North America has declined by nearly a quarter in the past two years, hitting a population level that justifies new hunting restrictions. The news was delivered last week at the annual meeting of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, an advisory organization with representatives of villages dependent
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
ArcticToday

‘The salmon will come back again’: First Nations document devastating low returns on B.C.’s central coast
First Nations on B.C.’s central coast are sounding the alarm after once-abundant salmon runs see devastatingly low returns in 2021
Bella Bella, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

Foxes 'attack from nowhere' says Igloolik woman
She was then driven immediately to the hospital, where she got treatment for a potential rabies infection. Over the past month, there has been an increase in fox sightings and cases of rabies in foxes in the communities of Igloolik and Iqaluit. A fox was confirmed to have rabies in Igloolik on Dec. 14, while two foxes have been reported to have rabies in Iqaluit over the past five weeks.
Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada
Nunatsiaq News

Avian flu confirmed at Canada’s Avalon Peninsula
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at an exhibition farm in Newfoundland, Canada. The OIE report identified the affected birds as “non-poultry including wild birds.” On the premises, there were 419 susceptible birds. Of those, 360 died and the remaining 59 were euthanized. A Canada goose died from avian influenza on in the Halifax area on February 2 (see related articles).
Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland

High clam mortality rate forces closure on east Cook Inlet next year
An approximate 69% of adult razor clams at Ninilchik beaches and 84% at Clam Gulch beaches have died. The department said the cause of the high natural mortality rate of the clams remains unknown, but may be due to a combination of heavy surf, habitat changes, environmental stressor and predation.
Clam Gulch, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

A lost eagle from Asia has been traveling around North America for more than a year
The Steller's sea eagle — native to China, Japan, the Koreas and eastern Russia — was spotted along the Taunton River in Massachusetts on Monday. It was first seen in Alaska in the summer of 2020.
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
NPR.org

Storms hit region with high winds, snow and then rain
Strong south winds hit 71 miles per hour in St. Michael, Shishmaref had its sea ice blown away and the Nome Airport saw 0.64 inches of precipitation – mostly in the form of rain - last weekend. The storm that hit on Saturday, Dec. 18 and continued all day Sunday brought the total precipitation for December thus far to 2.04 inches.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Fuel shortage and blizzard leave St. George residents rationing heat and water
“Whatever led up to the situation where all the sudden we don't have any fuel in the dead of winter, and with all these storms coming through, is beyond me,” said St. George resident Victor Malavansky. “I would like to say this is totally unacceptable.”
Saint George, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Dangerous sink hole on winter trail - an aftermath of extreme rains
I'm guessing all the rain we received during summer of 2021 created the trench.
Noatak, Alaska, United States

Unalakleet perseveres through water shortage, looks ahead to future system
Unalakleet’s supply of water was running on empty following a nasty freeze-up at the end of December. Freezing rain led to a frozen pool of standing water that shifted the community’s pump house before the New Year. This dropped the flow of water into the water tank and levels were down to two feet earlier the first week of January.
Unalakleet, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

Bowhead pod visits Savoonga with ice conditions unsuitable for hunting
Earlier this week, a pod of about nine Bowhead whales were seen off the northern coast of Savoonga but young ice conditions around St. Lawrence Island prevented hunting. If local hunters hauled a whale out onto young ice, it would break apart.
Savoonga, Alaska, United States

Invasive European green crab found in Nuu-chah-nulth territories
The Lummi Nation has declared a disaster after removing 70,000 invasive European green crabs from their sea pond in November.
According to Seattle-based King News, the Lummi Nation cultivates shellfish and juvenile salmon in their 750-acre sea pond. The European green crab preys on young oysters, clams, and are known to dig down into the sand, uprooting eel grass, which is habitat for juvenile salmon.
Marietta-Alderwood, Washington, United States
Ha-Shilth-Sa

Ships traveling into a warming Arctic are leaving garbage in their wake, scientists warn
Following another year of stark climate impacts in the Arctic, scientists warned Tuesday of a new scourge hitting the region: marine trash. With the region warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, sea ice that has long blanketed the Arctic Ocean is disappearing, opening new routes to shipping.
Nome, Alaska, United States
ArcticToday

Storm related flooding and infrastructure damage
"We lost internet and a power outage effected several residential homes and businesses. Of course there was no way to travel. Thankfully no medical emergencies."
Golovin, Alaska, United States
Carol Oliver, Racheal Lee, Edward "Ted" Smith, Anahma Shannon

Seawall to protect Utqiagvik from extreme storms
A seawall planned for Utqiagvik is aimed at protecting residents from extreme storms while preserving their connection to the ocean.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

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