The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
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The Circling Raptor For much of Alaska the bird that rules the sky is the bald eagle, but this year there were sighting across the state of a bird of a different feather, Cathartes aura - the turkey vulture. One was photographed perched on a roof in the village of Chalkyitsik in the Upper Yukon region (see article). It apparently dropped in to check out a pile of moose scraps. The idea of vultures anywhere in Alaska seems as unbelievable as seeing a flamingo or a pelican. But things are changing. The ornithology site eBird has documented 14 sightings of turkey vultures since 2010, from Juneau all the way to Utqiagvik. Safe to say the vultures are making a thorough survey of Alaska. Turkey vultures are rare vagrants that have also been spotted in other parts of the north, eight times in Yukon Territory, twice in the Northwest Territories and twice in Nunavut. Incidentally, there have been no flamingo sightings yet in Alaska, but a brown pelican was sighted in Ketchikan in May of 2003. You can read about vultures in the Arctic and from the Resilience Desk, learn how the rapid melt of the Dixon Glacier is providing new opportunities for hydroelectric power in Southcentral Alaska. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	Alaskans have been spotting turkey vultures all over the state this year Chalkyitsik, Alaska, United States Dan Bross / KUAC / October 15, 2021 An unusual bird was sighted in the Yukon Flats village of Chalkyitsik recently. The raptor, uncommon to the state, has also been spotted in a few other Alaska locations. Bird biologist Jim Johnson says there’s broader evidence that the nomadic turkey vulture is expanding north. Read article on KUAC
	Mysterious fish ended up in Vetle's boat - expert says it's extremely rare Barents Sea, norway Sondre Skjelvik / NRK / October 28, 2021 Vetle Berntsen and the others on the trawler understood little when the black fish ended up on board. No wonder – the fish actually live in deep water around the equator. It turned out to be Diretmichthys parini, also known as ducat fish, one of three documented in Norway. Read article on NRK
	Climate change worries Finland's young reindeer herders Northern Finland Yle Uutiset / Ida Wessman, 28, bought her family's herd of reindeer after her father passed away five years ago. "It's been going pretty well. With this industry you've got high points and low points," Wessman said, alluding to severe 2019-2020 weather that killed 15,000 of the animals. Read article on Yle Uutiset
	A one of a kind northern permafrost cliff Nuiqsut, Alaska, United States Ned Rozell / Fairbanks Daily News-Miner / October 24, 2021 In northern Alaska, an amphitheater of frozen ground thaws where a northern river cuts into it, exposing walls of ice. The feature, known by scientists as “yedoma,” is the largest of its kind yet found in Alaska. A great wall of ice holds a lot of treasures from the past, which science is eager to explore. Read article on Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
	‘Receding before our eyes:’ Vancouver Island glaciers likely to be all gone by mid-century vancouversun / October 24, 2021 Retired logger Fred Fern has been taking photos of the Comox Glacier every year since 2013, and the receding ice mass is easy to see in the images. Using Google Earth, Fern has calculated the Comox Glacier lost 15 vertical feet after this summer’s heat — and as much as 120 vertical feet since his first photo in 2013. Read article on vancouversun
	A melting glacier could mean a chance for Alaska’s biggest hydroelectric project to expand Fox River, Alaska, United States Sabine Poux / Alaska Public Media / October 25, 2021 The Dixon Glacier, on the other side of Kachemak Bay from Fitz Creek, is rapidly receding. That’s true for glaciers around Alaska, and the world. But what’s special about Dixon is it sits just a few miles from Bradley Lake, a source of hydropower that supplies the railbelt with about 10% of its energy needs. Read article on Alaska Public Media

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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