The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

Running Toward the Wave - On the evening of July 21st residents of Southwest Alaska were roused by a big earthquake, 7.8 on the Richter scale. First there was shaking and then the wailing of tsunami sirens filled the air and sent everyone scrambling for higher ground. Fortunately, the big wave never materialized. What did was a lot of people arriving at schools and other shelters with or without any way to protect themselves from the other big threat - Covid. In Homer the school had extra masks and hand sanitizer, and in King Cove community health aides handed out masks to those who needed them. Some people stayed in their cars so they could better socially distance. For most everyone the lesson was the importance of planning ahead as the pandemic continues to present new challenges, and we navigate through them as best as we can. You can read local accounts of the July 21st earthquake in this edition, and also about the record rains in Northern Canada, and the record heat in Northern Europe. Mike Brubaker Editor

	7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes King Cove King Cove, Alaska, United States Ginger Bear / LEO Network / July 23, 2020 "I got under my kitchen table and it was very violent and loud and lasted quite a while. The tsunami sirens started right after it stopped." Read post on the LEO Network
	Hottest Ever Day Recorded in Arctic Svalbard Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen David Nikel / Life in Norway / July 25, 2020 It was hotter today on Svalbard than in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. So much so, that the previous temperature record from 1979 was smashed. Read article on Life in Norway
	Second Landslide Destroys Road in Northern Norway Alta, Finnmark Fylke, Norway David Nikel / Life in Norway / June 6, 2020 Eight houses were taken into the sea by the powerful landslide measuring 650 metres wide. Read article on Life in Norway
	Puffin saved by lucky chance Borgarnes, West, Iceland RÚV / July 24, 2020 A group on a glacier expedition on Langjökull yesterday stumbled across a puffin lying in the snow. According to group leader Martha Jónasdóttir, the bird was found right at the centre of the glacier—Iceland's second-largest. Read article on RÚV
	Oily substance found near Savoonga remains a mystery Savoonga, Alaska, United States R. B. Smith / The Nome Nugget / June 17, 2020 About a month ago, residents of St. Lawrence Island found a patch of oily, white goo on the beach, along with some dead sea birds covered in the substance. Read article on The Nome Nugget
	July on pace to set rainfall record in Yellowknife Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada Simon Whitehouse / NNSL Media / July 21, 2020 With several days left in July, there's a chance that Yellowknife may be on track to break the monthly and summer records for precipitation. Read article on NNSL Media
	Iqaluit sees record-breaking rainfalls this week Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada Nunatsiaq News / Nunatsiaq News / July 22, 2020 Iqaluit saw record rainfall yesterday, creating turbulent streams. Heavy precipitation may lead to fat berries and caribou, and lots of mosquitoes. Read article on Nunatsiaq News
	Yukon sees most mosquitoes in many years, control program says Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada Laura Howells / CBC / July 25, 2020 It may not come as a surprise, but Yukon has seen an unusually high number of mosquitoes this year — and they aren't physically distancing. Read article on CBC
	Russian Wildfire Smoke Choking Siberian Cities Yugorsk, Khanty-Mansiyskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia AFP / The Moscow Times / July 16, 2020 Photos of Yugorsk and other cities showed residential buildings fuzzy under a blanket of white smog. Read article on The Moscow 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.

Please forward this newsletter or share it on social media. Join the LEO Network to share your own stories of environmental change.

You may subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking here.

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.

Explore Posts

Submit a Post

Directory

About

My LEO

The NorthernClimate Observer

Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer