Great dog sled race must face new challenges

Like many other winter activities and sports, the Iditarod, the great annual sled dog team race across Alaska, is facing new obstacles with the change warming climate. One of the bigger changes is the race's bypass of the small city of Wasilla. Wasilla is the headquarters for the race, as well as it has been known as "home of the Iditarod."."I always dreamed of running the race through Wasilla just because that's where we live and we have a lot of fans," said Ryan Redington, the 25-year-old grandson of race founder Joe Redington, "but right now, you can drive down any street and you'll see green grass." Reasons for this bypass is partly because of the loss of snow fall in Wasilla. According to scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Alaska Climate Research Center temperatures have risen an average of 1.9 degrees Celsius across the state of Alaska from 1949 to 2007. The most dramatic warming has been occurring in the winter, and the start of the race is on the first Saturday of March. With a clear warming trend in Alaska, the race has recently been faced with some new obstacles. Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, who remembers many really cold races, said the warming climate was obvious at certain parts of the trail. "The warming trend is definitely visible," said Buser, who noted that mosquitoes became a problem during one of the recent races. Mosquitoes are usually unseen during winter months. With the lack of snow in the area, mosquitoes are now a factor as well in the race, another consequence of a warming climate. Beginning in 2008 the race started instead in Willow, 50 km north of Wasilla. Only time will tell how much more the race will need to be tinkered with, as things get warmer. 

http://www.mindfood.com/at-alaskan-dog-race-affected-by-global-warming.seo
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/31967