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Today's C
ongressional Action:
The House is not in session. The Senate is in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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Murkowski Presses Corps of Engineers on Arctic Port.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is again asking the Army Corps of Engineers to advance a northern deep-water Alaska port to serve vessels in Arctic waters. The Alaska Republican at a budget hearing Wednesday questioned the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, Jo-Ellen Darcy, on why the corps is not seeking funding a proposed port expansion in Nome. Alaska Public Radio
 New Icebreaker Brings Flashy Tech and Climate Worries.
The race to complete the Arktika Russian nuclear icebreaker, the first in a line of new generation vessels for use along the Northern Sea Route, has builders working in three shifts to complete the ship by May, Russian media reported. But, rather than boost business along the fabled Arctic shipping lane, climate change, say experts, would actually take a bite out of far north cargo deliveries before the new icebreaker has a chance to prove its stuff. Port News
Massive Step to Protect a Vital Part of the Arctic High Seas Taken Today in Gothenburg.
The Biodiversity Committee of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) that met this week in Gothenburg, Sweden, has endorsed the scientific robustness of a proposed Marine Protected Area in the Arctic high seas, roughly the size of the UK. By endorsing the proposal this technical committee recognizes that there is enough scientific evidence for the OSPAR Commission to take action to protect the proposed area, which would cover almost 10% of the Arctic high seas 'doughnut hole' around the North Pole. Arctic Journal
Opening of Research for Arctic Oil & Gas. Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland, has created a three-year professorship to research the social, political and economic aspects of oil and gas related activities in the Arctic.
The opening takes place at Ilisimatusarfik, Ilimmarfik building at Wednesday 16 March at 13:00- 16:00 in the Auditorium at Ilimmarfik, and we look forward to many participants. The research center opens with presentations from the two professors who are heading up the research of the center. Arctic Journal
 Sea Ice Research May Improve Spill Cleanup Strategies.
Although sea ice is often thought to block the flow of oil through ocean water, a team of researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is studying how oil can percolate into ice, according to a press release from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This has implications for the methods and policies used to clean up oil spills in the Arctic. "Many oil cleanup crews even think of ice as an aid to cleanup," said Kyle Dilliplaine, a graduate student at the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. "A lot of policies are built on the ease of cleaning up the oil when it gets 'corralled' by sea ice. But the science is not always behind it. It's not that easy." Juneau Empire
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
5th Annual Fletcher Opening Arctic Conference, March 12, 2016.
The Opening Arctic Conference builds on the Fletcher School's Warming Arctic International Inquiry series, to bring together high-level thought leaders from across disciplines, Fletcher's hallmark. Staged annually, Fletcher's event continues to address the foreign policy, economic, environmental and security implications of the opening Arctic, while dispelling myths.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, March 23-25, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The Fairbanks workshop aims to explore recent advances and innovations in indigenous science and scholarship in the circumpolar north and its neighbors. The workshop will bring together indigenous experts and researchers from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds to explore the role and contributions of indigenous frameworks and knowledge systems in advancing fields of science and informing global solutions.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, March 31-April 2, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The Juneau Workshop, organized in collaboration with University of Alaska Southeast Department of Social Science, aims to explore the contributions and potentials of Arctic social sciences in the emerging synergies that involve humanities, natural sciences, and engineering. The connections we attempt to foster reach mainly into two directions within the recent history of Arctic research.
15th Annual Arctic Health Science Seminar, April 1, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA).
The American Society for Circumpolar Health will host the 15th Annual Arctic Health Science Seminar in Anchorage, Alaska. This event will include the annual meeting of the American Society for Circumpolar Health, the Robert Fortuine Memorial lecture, and the Albrecht Milan Foundation will provide the Albrecht-Milan Emerging Professional Award to one of the Arctic Health Science Seminar presenters. The call for abstracts is open through
Monday February 29, 2016.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, April 14-16, 2016 (Cedar Fall, Idaho, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. This workshop will gather a diverse group of scholars to discuss the state-of-the art in Arctic social sciences and develop visioning scenarios for the future of social science research in the Arctic. The core topics will parallel discussions held at other regional workshops (Portland, OR and Providence, RI), which include: social sciences research and climate change; interdisciplinary research in the Arctic; social sciences and humanities in the Arctic, and applied social sciences research.
Alaska Rural Energy Conference, April 26-28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Rural Energy Conference is a three day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska's remote communities. Building on the growing success, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power have joined forces again to organize and sponsor the 10th annual Alaska Rural Energy Conference.
14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway).
The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Rhode Island, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.
** New this week **
Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia).
The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
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2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA).