Kivalina

Erratic temperatures led to the absence of tomcods, severely affecting local fishing.

Kivalina residents report cracks on the sides of the recently built evacuation road which connects the village to the storm refuge site and the school. The team with the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities plans to visit the village and assess the damages at the end of August.

Kivalina has long dealt with climate change-driven erosion. While the village didn’t feel the effects of heavy flooding, residents are wary of a future with heavy autumn storms.

"The ones caught in October were of larger size (usually seen in Kotzebue area) and the ones in November a smaller, more familiar cods that we use to get."

Extremely high winds blew over Northwest Alaska this weekend, pushing away ice cover and cutting power in some communities. The storm is expected to be 100 miles west of Utqiagvik by 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning and continue to weaken and drift north after that.

"Alaska Natives rely on the land for food and survival so they are exponentially impacted by climate change."

Approximately 31 Alaska Native communities face imminent climate change due to floods and erosion. This can lead to the disappearance of culture and lifestyle changes. The four tribes are in the process of relocating from a rapidly disappearing village.

The new road allows villagers to access higher ground as global warming causes their village site to erode.

Coonstripe shrimp (Pandalus hypsinotis) can be found at a depth of 30-300 feet in Norton Sound. During a strong storm, some washed up on a beach north of their known range.

Pacific sand lance can be found along the Western and Southern coasts of Alaska, although their distribution is based on habitat availability. Computer models suggest that there is a low probability this habitat exists near Kivalina.

Unusually warm spring temperatures are rapidly melting above average snowpack, leading to flooding.

Danny Foster and Mike Hawley of Kivalina were ice fishing outside of town when they came upon something they’d never seen before. Incidentally, similar ice balls or ice eggs were reported on an ocean beach in Finland on the same day.

About 20 to 30 medium-sized birds with black backs and white bellies were found spaced out along the entire beach of the island.

More than 50 birds and a seal were found along the shoreline.

Murres along Cape Thompson are migrating earlier, allowing coastal community residents to collect eggs a few weeks earlier than normal.

Sea surface temperatures are 9 degrees higher than normal in some areas off Western Alaska.

Because of the increased travel distance, only families with larger boats were able to participate in the hunt and bring back enough to make the trip cost effective. With a heavier load in the boat, one family ran out of gas trying to get home and had to be rescued.

The Arctic Sounder - Serving the Northwest Arctic and the North Slope

Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) found dead on the beach near Kivalina.