Arctic Update Header
April 29, 2019

Today, no Arctic-science events are scheduled.
Media

Whales Trained by Russia's Military May be Harassing Fishermen From NATO Ally Norway. Norwegian fishermen and scientists say a white whale wearing a strange harness that harassed boats in the Arctic recently may have been trained by Russia's military. Russia has previously acknowledged training sea mammals for special operations in the frigid Arctic, where the country has a major military base not far from the territory of key NATO member Norway. CBS News
 
Homes Like Parkas? Shivering Arctic Dwellers May Ned Housing Rethink. Arctic housing specialist Jack Hébert likes to paraphrase a saying from the Inupiaq, a Native Alaskan group living north of the Arctic Circle. "Before the white man came, we lived in the ground and we buried our dead in the air," atop the tundra, Hébert said. "After the white man came, we buried our dead in the ground, we live in the air and we've been cold ever since." Reuters
 
Quick Reconnaissance After 2018 Anchorage Quake Reveals Signs of Ground Failure. A day after the 30 November 2018 magnitude 7 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. Geological Survey scientists Robert Witter and Adrian Bender had taken to the skies. The researchers were surveying the region from a helicopter, looking for signs of ground failure from landslides to liquefaction. Science Daily
   
Arctic sea ice Arctic Warming Will Accelerate Climate Change and Impact Global Economy. Carbon released into the atmosphere by the increasing loss of Arctic permafrost, combined with higher solar absorption by the Earth's surface due to the melting of sea ice and land snow, will accelerate climate change -- and have a multi-trillion-dollar impact on the world economy. Science Daily
Future Events

North x North Festival, May 1-5, 2019 (Anchorage, Alaska USA).  The third annual North x North Summit & Festival celebrates connection and culture across the North. The event features five days of conversations, workshops, exhibitions, performances, presentations, music, dance, installations, food, film and experiences highlighting Northern people, landscapes and cultures.  The Summit (May 1-2), which is open to registered participants, focuses on resilience and research, with a special emphasis on gender and Indigenizing. The Festival (May 3-5) is open to the general public and features activities and conversations around climate, gender, innovation, food, indigenizing and earthquakes.

Lawrence Hamilton, University of New Hampshire- What People Know: Asking About the Arctic on US General Public Surveys, May 3, 2019 (Washington, DC USA). Since 2006, a number of surveys have explored U.S. public knowledge and perceptions about polar regions. At first glance, these seemed to show fairly high levels of public awareness and concern about polar climate change and related issues. Closer examination with increasingly sophisticated surveys uncovered a more complex picture, however. Some basic polar and Arctic knowledge questions, which link to people's more general beliefs, are answered with reasonably good accuracy.

2019 Bering Strait Regional Energy Summit, May 7-9, 2019 (Nome, Alaska USA). This event is hosted by the Kawerak Energy Program. Regional residents, stakeholders and partner organizations are invited to come together to learn about energy resources. Attendees will share experiences with energy in their communities, gain knowledge about new energy technologies and funding sources, and help to develop creative ideas for decreasing the cost of energy in the Bering Strait Region by developing efficient, affordable, and sustainable energy projects. For more information or to receive a registration form by fax, please send an email to  energy@kawerak.org  or call  (907) 443-4253 . To receive travel funding, all registration forms must be received by April 19, 2019.

Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, May 7-10, 2019 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). This symposium provides a forum to discuss ways to facilitate effective cooperative research, a platform for scientific talks on the application and results of cooperative research, and opportunity to evaluate how such research might be best envisioned, applied and implemented. The symposium involves participants from a variety of relevant marine industries, address these issues through facilitated discussion, identify best practices, and articulate a set of case studies for effective collaboration. The symposium also includes scientists from a wide range of sectors, including state and federal agencies, universities, research institutes and industry science. This event is sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant College Program. 

US Arctic Research Commission meeting, May 8, 2019 (Anchorage, Alaska USA)
Commissioners Mayer, Ulmer, and Greene

The 111th meeting of the USARC will be held in the Captain Cook's Endeavor Room from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The commission will debut its new, biennial "Report on the Goals and Objectives for Arctic Research 2019-2020 for the US Arctic Research Program Plan" and will hear presentations on Arctic research  from invited speakers. Additionally, Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission Fran Ulmer will provide a public presentation on the Commission's goals report. A detailed agenda is available at this link.

Arctic and Boreal Carbon: Key Findings from the State of the Carbon Cycle Report, May 14, 2019 (Silver Spring, Maryland USA or via webinar). This is seminar 10 in the Series: From Science to Solutions: The State of the Carbon Cycle, the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2). The speaker is Dr. Ted Schuur from the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society at Northern Arizona University. Dr. Schuur will present on changing factors that control terrestrial carbon storage in unmanaged arctic and boreal ecosystems. Surface air temperature change is amplified in high-latitude regions, as seen in the Arctic where temperature rise is about 2.5 times faster than that for the whole Earth. Permafrost temperatures have been increasing over the last 40 years.

Intersection of Arctic Science and Policy, May 14, 2019 (webinar). Join this discussion with Dr. Brendan Kelly, Executive Director of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change ( SEARCH). He will present a short history of Arctic research policy followed by observations on the science needed to support policy. Input from others on the call is encouraged. Open to all. This discussion is lead up to the  Arctic Futures 2050 conference (September 4-6, 2019 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.).  Registration for the conference is now open. Register for the webinar at:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/983d26c5e1a37a2f4ac87b605f06faf5. For more information, contact Andrea Fisher,  afisher13@alaska.edu

Understanding Northern Latitude Vegetation Greening and Browning: Proceedings of a Workshop, May 14, 2019 (Webinar). The Polar Research Board, in collaboration with the Board on Life Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, convened a workshop in December 2018 to discuss vegetation greening and browning in tundra and boreal ecosystems. Studies have often documented large-scale greening trends (i.e. increased plant productivity and measured "greenness") but they have also identified areas of browning (decreased productivity) or shifts between greening and browning over varying spatial extents and time periods. This public webinar that will summarize the recently released Workshop Proceedings ( downloadable here). 

Synoptic Arctic Survey - International Planning and Coordination Workshop, May 15-16, 2019 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA). An open coordination and planning workshop will be held to continue planning the Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS). The SAS is a developing international program envisioned to mount a coordinated, multi-nation, oceanographic field based effort on a Pan Arctic scale over two summer seasons (2020-2021). The key objective is to achieve a quasi-synoptic baseline understanding of the fundamental structure and function of the linked Arctic carbon-ecosystem-physical systems that will permit detection of ongoing and future changes. More information and the international science plan is available  here. More info on participating in this workshop is available  here.   Update: Application Deadline for Early Career Travel Support Extended to April 30.

Arctic Science Summit Week, May 22-30, 2019 (Arkhangelsk, Russia). The Arctic Science Summit Week 2019 will take place in Northern (Arctic) Federal University and Northern State Medical University, Russia, Arkhangelsk. Under the auspices of International Arctic Science Committee, participants from more than 23 countries and regions will be involved.

** This is in **  May 2018 National Weather Service Alaska Climate Outlook Briefing, May 24, 2019 (Webinar). This event is part of the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series. The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for June and the summer season. Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in person or online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.
 
Resilience in Rapidly Changing Arctic Systems, proposals close June 14, 2019. This joint Belmont Forum CRA calls for co-developed and co-implemented proposals from integrated teams of natural and social scientists, and stakeholders to address key areas of arctic resilience understanding and action. This collaboration of academic and non-academic knowledge systems constitutes a transdisciplinary approach that will advance not only understanding of the fundamentals of arctic resilience but also spur action, inform decision-making, and translate into solutions for resilience. The term "stakeholder" is used here in its broadest possible sense, allowing for co-development of projects with partners from, but not limited to, civil society, government, industry, NGOs, and Indigenous organizations.
   

Mark your calendars to attend IDA-8, which some have called one of the best Arctic gatherings around. Historically, this biennial symposium was co-hosted by U.S. National/Naval Ice Center (NIC) and the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC). In 2019, these partners will join forces with the Wilson Center's Polar Institute, and the Patuxent Defense Forum (run by the Patuxent Partnership), and St. Mary's College of Maryland as co-hosts. The now 2-day symposium will be held in the Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater, in Washington, DC. The event will focus on a broad cross-section of naval and maritime operations and issues in an ice-diminishing Arctic. The symposium brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts on Arctic governance, geopolitics, marine operations, infrastructure, science, and environmental observations, from the local, regional, and pan-Arctic scale. Information on prior symposia, including lists of speakers, video clips, and copies of presentations, is available here. Attendance is free, and registration is now open, here
. The event will be webcast live, and video recorded.
 
18th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering / 8th Canadian Permafrost Conference, August 18-22, 2019 (Quebec, Canada). Sustainable infrastructure development and permafrost science, in a climate change context, will be the focus of the discussions of this international conference.

2019 Sea Ice Symposium, August 18-23, 2019 (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada). IGS co-hosts a sea ice symposium every 5 years. The Centre for Earth Observation Science (University of Manitoba) is excited to be hosting the first IGS event to be held in Canada. The symposium will include oral and poster sessions, and will provide a friendly and intellectually stimulating environment to facilitate face-to-face interactions and networking. Additional activities will include an opening reception, a banquet dinner and a mid-symposium afternoon excursion. 

Arctic Futures 2050: Science and Policy for a Changing Arctic, September 4-6, 2019 (Washington, DC USA).  In 2019, the Study of Environmental Arctic Change  (SEARCH) and partners will convene Arctic scientists and decision makers to jointly forecast  Arctic research needed to inform policy in the coming decades. The conference also is intended to foster more effective and iterative collaborations among Arctic scientists and decision makers.

Alaska Unmanned Aircraft Systems Interest Group Meeting, September 23-26, 2019 (Fairbanks, Alaska USA). The Alaska Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) is accepting submissions from potential speakers through May 1. Focus areas include policy/ regulations, research and education training, commercial aspects of UAS. More information will be available here.

EU Arctic Forum, October 3-4, 2019 ( Umeå, Sweden). The European Commission, the European External Action Service, and the Government of Sweden will jointly organize a high-level EU Arctic Forum . The EU Arctic Forum will bring together key Arctic players and stakeholders to assess recent developments in the region and to discuss the new challenges ahead. The EU Arctic Forum will include several keynote addresses and two high-level panel sessions on the morning of 3 October. Foreign ministers from EU member states as well as the Arctic Council will be invited to participate.

Understanding and Responding to Global Health Security Risks from Microbial Threats in the Arctic , November 6-7, 2019 (Hanover, Germany). The workshop will be planned as a collaboration between the U.S. National Academies Polar Research Board, Board on Life Sciences, and the Board on Global Health as well as the InterAcademy Partnership and the European Academies Science Advisory Council. Additional information about the project and a form to submit nominations (by April 5) can be found here. Contact Lauren Everett ( leverett@nas.edu) with any questions.

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