North Pacific

Japan is tracking Typhoon No. 27, known as Choi-wan, which has developed a clear eye and is forecast to intensify into a very strong storm, with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning of maximum gusts up to 60 metres per second. It is expected to approach the Ogasawara Islands from late this weekend before moving north, bringing dangerous high waves and possible storm surge, with alerts extended to Hokkaido's Pacific coast early next week. Forecasters are also watching a new tropical depression that could develop into the next typhoon.

A swordfish has washed up on the coast of British Columbia, an unusual occurrence for the region. Scientists say the sighting may reflect shifting ocean conditions, including warming waters that push species beyond their traditional ranges. Marine researchers are examining the animal to learn more about why it strayed so far north and what it signals about changing marine ecosystems along the Pacific coast.

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is recruiting marine mammal observers for its Alaska program, a role posted through the Ocean Career listings. Observers monitor fishing operations to protect whales, seals and other marine mammals from incidental harm. The opening highlights steady demand for trained biological observers in North Pacific fisheries and the career pathways into marine conservation work.

Hurricane Nolo is forecast to cross the International Date Line into the western North Pacific, where it will transition into a typhoon. Storm systems that cross the date line change designation from hurricane to typhoon, though they remain the same weather phenomenon. Trackers are following its projected path as it moves into the western Pacific basin.

Sea surface temperatures in the north central Pacific Ocean, along and south of the Aleutian Islands, have been at or near record high levels every month of this year, based on NOAA satellite data going back to 1982. The concern is that unusually warm water in this storm corridor could alter the behaviour of storms moving across the region, with possible downstream effects on weather patterns reaching Alaska and beyond.

Scientists and wildlife watchers are discussing how humpback whales will cope with the marine heatwave driven by the current El Niño. A previous record heatwave from 2014 to 2016 disrupted the food web humpbacks depend on, and the North Pacific population fell by roughly 20% between 2012 and 2021, a decline of about 7,000 whales, raising fears of a similar impact.

Nature enthusiasts are posting about Pelagic Cormorants, the coastal seabirds found along the Pacific shores of North America and East Asia. The sightings are being shared within birdwatching and nature-loving communities, with users trading observations and photos under birding and wildlife hashtags. Little concrete news is attached beyond the sightings themselves.

A Pacific hurricane has crossed the international dateline and been reclassified as Typhoon Nolo, a rare meteorological occurrence that is being widely reported across North American news outlets. When storms cross the dateline from the eastern to the western Pacific, their designation changes from hurricane to typhoon under regional naming conventions. Details about the storm's track, intensity, or any potential impact on land remain limited in the available reporting.

North Korea and Russia are reportedly circumventing United Nations sanctions in order to support Moscow's drone operations, according to reporting highlighted by Indo-Pacific Defense Forum. The cooperation is seen as deepening military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow amid the war in Ukraine, raising questions about the effectiveness of the UN sanctions regime and the international response to sanctioned arms transfers.

A researcher says it has become increasingly common along the British Columbia coastline to see tropical species moving into colder waters as they seek refuge from warming oceans. The observation points to shifting marine migration patterns along the Pacific coast, with warm-water animals appearing further north than usual as ocean temperatures rise off Canada's west coast.

Hurricane Nolo is forecast to cross the International Date Line from the central Pacific into the western North Pacific, where it would be reclassified as a typhoon. Storms that make this crossing keep their circulation but change designation under regional naming conventions, drawing attention from weather watchers tracking its path across the basin.