The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

No one is too small to make a difference - This week, Greta Thunberg became an inspiration to the world with her passionate and courageous speech at the UN Climate Summit. In her words we recognize the terrible predicament that we are creating for our children; in her voice the distress that so many people feel about the future. Like Greta, we need to talk about climate change, directly and honestly. And we need to look to young people for hope and for guidance. But we also need to keep hope, and that means being empowered to follow the example set by Greta and to take action on this, the greatest challenge of our time. In this edition you will find more stories about the symptoms of climate change in the North. It is sometimes hard to read these stories, because of the reality of these events and the implications for the planet. But in these articles there are also important lessons, clues, innovations and ample reasons for hope. We hope you will look closer and learn about the people who are taking action by treating the symptoms of climate change. This week we would like to recognize the contributors to one of the featured articles. Thank you Hillary Burgess, Kathy Kuletz, and youth intern Shayla Shaishnikoff who shared her observations about the shearwater die-off in Unalaska. Your work is helping us to understand, and your actions give us hope. Mike Brubaker - Editor

	NOAA sees dramatic increase of ice seal deaths in Bering and Chukchi seas Nome, Alaska, United States Anchorage Daily News / Anchorage Daily News / September 13, 2019 Since June 1 2018, NOAA has received reports of 282 dead ice seals in the Bering and Chukchi seas. NOAA said they typically receive reports of about 29 ice seal strandings a year. Read article on Anchorage Daily News
	Shearwater (genus Puffinus) Bird Die-off Unalaska, Alaska, United States Shayla Shaishnikoff, Hillary Burgess and Kathy Kuletz / LEO Network / September 6, 2019 Eighteen dead shearwaters (genus Puffinus) have washed ashore at Humpy Cove. Additional birds were observed by other community members at Wide Bay and Morris Cove. Read post on the LEO Network
	Whitehorse fish ladder sees fewest chinook salmon since 1977 Whitehorse Fish Ladder, Yukon, Canada CBC / September 16, 2019 The number of chinook salmon that reached the Whitehorse fish ladder this year hit a 40-year low, and it's not clear why. Just 282 chinook passed through the fish ladder this year, compared to 690 last year. "We did see some large pre-spawn mortality die-offs in a tributary of the Yukon River — the Koyukuk in Alaska. This was for summer chum, and not chinook — but we expect that that higher water temperature also affected the chinook migrating through." Read article on CBC
	Mass "Ballooning" Spider Event Responsible for Unusual Webs on Vegetation St. Paul Island, Alaska, United States Lauren Divine and Derek Sikes / LEO Network / September 9, 2019 Unusual webs spread across vegetation is likely related to a mass ballooning event, where spiders launched themselves in the air using the Earths magnetic charge and the wind. Read post on the LEO Network
	A Svalbard reindeer died after getting tangled up in plastic waste Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Siri Gulliksen Tømmerbakke / Arctic Today / September 17, 2019 Staff from the governor's office responded and found two bulls entangled on the shore. One lay dead in the water, and another could not move. A third bull had managed to get loose. Read article on Arctic Today
	Napakiak School Fuel Tanks Transported To Bethel Between Fall Storms Bethel, Alaska, United States Anna Rose MacArthur / KYUK / September 13, 2019 The Coast Guard ordered the Lower Kuskokwim School District to empty the tanks to prevent an environmental disaster as the eroding Kuskokwim riverbank advanced towards the fuel site. Read article on KYUK
	Brown bear filmed crossing 3km wide Avacha Bay in the Pacific Ocean Vilyuchinsk, Kamtsjatka, Russia Siberia Times / September 9, 2019 The unusual swimmer stunned fishermen who said they have never seen bears venturing so far out to sea. Read article on Siberia 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.

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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
Climate Observer