Climate Monday: What is Killing the Fish in Alaska?

If you guessed "climate change", you might very well be on to what my "Climate *Day of the Week*" posts are on about. It looks like unusually warm weather combined with drought is doing a number on the Alaskan fish population (like, more than over-fishing and oil spills have already done.) This post is by no means about gloating over any state's misfortune--this is about acknowledging that there is a problem and it definitely does affect indistries such as commercial fishing and tourism (because people do go up to Alaska for the fishing).

That said, it is a little bit about pointing out that, while some might point to the really amazingly temperate and beautiful weather we're having right now in the Mid-Atlantic states and comment that this somehow just doesn't look like global warming is a thing based on our local weather--but this is weather. Weather changes. But what is happening in Alaska is part of a trend of higher temperatures that definitely impacts its unique ecosystem, and threatens the way of life of the people who live there.  It's always important to keep in mind that climate change isn't just about environmental changes, but has economic and social ramifications. That sometimes gets missed while people are "discussing the controversy" or whatever they like to call it.